


College Life

by LovelessKia



Category: Oban Star-Racers
Genre: Avatar Jordan, Birthday, But living lowkey on earth, College AU, College Life, Cooking, Eva gets 2 dads, F/M, Hide and Seek, I listened to 1 song & now im like entire college au yeah, Ill try LOL, Kinda, M/M, Mechanics, Pizza Discourse, Post-Oban, Road Trip, Romance, Roommates, Sickfic, Slow Burn, Stan & Koji are here & ready to be big bros, Stargazing, but everything goes wrong! sorta, but with literal god & two dads, family reminiscing, hell yeah, many feels, mechanic stuff also happens, so much stupid goofy friend fluff, still am ??? tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-11-14
Packaged: 2019-12-18 11:28:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 42,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18248927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LovelessKia/pseuds/LovelessKia
Summary: Eva never wanted to stop racing after returning from Oban, but Don Wei's anxieties & fears have kept her off the track. Knowing that he can't keep her from racing forever, he finally allows her to come back to racing on one condition: She gets a proper education in Star Racer mechanics so she won't have a mistake like her mother. Eva happily agrees, & is living a pretty normal college life for a while...Until the last person she expected to be there enrolls during her sophomore year.





	1. Moving Day

**Author's Note:**

> HUAAAA seriously I listened to one fucking song ("Going Away to College" by Blink 182 if you're curious) & now im like COLLEGE AU COLLEGE AU COLLEGE AU. Disclosure: I've never been to college, idfk how it works. This is all merely self indulgence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UPDATE: So I got the suggestion to edit the format of this fic a bit (cuz I rly just write big chunky paragraphs, I think it's from how I do first-drafts) so I divided it up quite a bit to hopefully make it easier to read! ✌ I also just revised a few things (trying not to re-use so many words & such).

Eva slammed down the last box atop a pile of many more that were littered around her apartment bedroom, letting out a huge sigh of exhaustion. She never thought clothing could be so heavy.

“You're not too tired to ditch help with bringing up the couch, are ya little mouse?” said a deep voice from the front door.

She groaned & lifted herself from one of the larger boxes, yelling back, “No-No, just a sec Rick!” The hulking ex-pilot was leaning against her doorway, smirking at her obvious exhaustion. “I didn't know moving day was going to take this much out of ya, little mouse,” he chuckled, moving out of the way as she pushed past him & through the doorway.

“Hey, this is no problem! I'll need to build the extra muscle for the hands-on classes anyways.”

 

Eva Wei had turned 20 years old just a few months ago, & was moving into her first apartment away from home, having been accepted to Burroughs Academy, one of the leading engineering Earth colleges. She hadn't really planned on attending any more school after she had graduated from high school 2 years prior, but it was a compromise between her & her father, Don Wei. Ever since returning from Oban when she was just 15 years old, the racing spirit that ignited in her heart never waned. The passion continued still today, but her father's deep-rooted anxieties forbade her from stepping foot on the track again.

It was something they would bicker & argue about a lot in their time since Oban, but they would come to an understanding eventually. Don knew that once Eva became an adult, there really was nothing stopping the decisions she makes in her own life.

 

* * *

 

“Eva, you know I’m only afraid of losing you.”

Don & Eva sat in their dining room together, both seated with a cup of coffee in front of them. She gripped her warm mug, nodding.

Of course she knew. That was always his reasoning. It still frustrated her, however, even knowing it was coming from a place of parental protection.

“But I also know...that Maya wouldn't have wanted this. If it's really what you want to do with your life..,” he said slowly, placing one of his hands atop her own, “Then...I'll support you.”

She stared at him, wide-eyed, almost not believing it. He had been so adamant at keeping her away from racing for all these years, & now he was suddenly ok with it?

“Dad, are you...serious?”

“Yes, Eva, completely,” he responded. “I would be lying if I said I wasn't still scared to death, but...I cant keep you from this. Rick agrees too, but you know hes always been on your side with this,” Don informed her while rolling his eyes.

Eva let out a small giggle at her father's weakly annoyed tone. Rick must have been the driving force behind this sudden decision, she figured. Her dad did always have a habit of being wrapped around his partner's finger, he use to be the same with her mother back when she was a little girl.

“But,” he suddenly spoke up, lifting a single index finger in the air, “I would like for you to get an education & background in star ship engineering & mechanics before entering the racing profession. I know you would have mechanics & such on a professional team, but I just...Eva, I don't want what happened to your mother to happen to you. I want you to be armed with the knowledge yourself to know if something is wrong, so you can save yourself from any potential danger. Do you see where I'm coming from?”

Honestly, she had no real reason to disagree with him. He had a very good point: Pilots should have some level of engineering knowledge in case of emergencies. Besides, she enjoyed the mechanical parts of racing as well, so what's the harm in expanding on what she already knows? She did build & performed maintenance on her home-made rocket seat by herself, after all!

“I don't see a problem with that at all, dad. I'd be happy to, even!” she said with a wide smile.

Don let out a sigh of relief and got up from his seat, coming over to embrace Eva in a warm hug. She squeezed him back, feeling true support from him for the first time in a long time. Not that things had been particularly tough since returning to Earth, but of course, it's been a long & strenuous process. 

This particular subject had always been a struggle, for everyone involved. But with this compromise, a large weight had been lifted off both of their shoulders. 

It was the first step to getting back into her true life's passion: Star ship racing.

 

She continued the rest of her break-year after graduating high school applying for scholarships, studying which colleges offered the best programs, & living her home life with Don & Rick. It took some time to adjust to having another parental figure in the house again after so many years, but they truly did make a happy little family. Rick was a surprisingly good middle man when Don & Eva had any disagreements or full blown screaming matches. Capable of bring the perspective they needed to calm down, talk it out, & reconcile over many issues they needed to overcome due to the many years of abandonment Eva suffered, Rick became quite a corner stone.

Maybe that's what Don saw in him: A pillar of stability that he was deeply missing & needed. And Rick was happy to provide it, of course.

Rick even helped Eva with her school & scholarship searching, knowing a tiny bit about the academies out there. There were a lot of difficulties, & she had sadly been rejected by her first few choices due to her high school grades. They were...not very good. Eva had spent way more of her high-school days day-dreaming about her Oban adventure & being emotionally tied up in fixing her relationship with her father.

Another year had passed since beginning her college search, & admittedly, she was getting bummed out by the back to back _to back_ rejections. Never ending rejections, it seemed.

Then, one day, the acceptance letter for Burroughs Academy came in the mail. She jumped for joy in her living room & hugged her father & Rick as the celebrated with her. Both Don & Eva were astounded that she had gotten into such a wonderful school considering the pile of rejection letters she had accumulated, but they didn't look too hard into it. She got in, & that's what mattered! The coming fall semester, she would be starting her first round of classes.

Rick would never let them know that he was good friends with one of the student board members, whom he met in his racing years. He didn't want to pull any strings originally, but he knew Eva had real skills, so he would just this once for his “little mouse”. What was the harm in opening a door for this young girl he believed in?

 

* * *

 

Eva dramatically let out a yell & threw herself face-first on her newly placed couch, beads of sweat rolling down her arms & forehead. Rick laughed at the sight, barely breaking a sweat himself, “Hey, I carried like, 75% of that couch, & it was only up 1 flight of stairs! You're being a drama queen, don't you think?”

A muffled groan from the couch cushion was her response, lazily waving a floppy hand in the air to dismiss his remarks. He lifted her legs off the couch with ease & slipped under them, taking a seat next to her.

“So, you have a lot of unpacking to do, & Don should be getting off work in an hour or so. He said he would bring the last bunch of boxes with him too, so you'll be officially moved in after that. Want to order some pizza before he gets here & take a break?”

She shot up at the offer & nodded furiously, “Can we get cheese sticks too?”

Rick let out another laugh & gave her a thumbs up, “Of course, & a 2 liter of Coke. But, you need to wash your cups first.”

She let out a sigh & rolled off the couch, landing on the carpet with a small thump. Of course he was right, but her exhaustion made any sort of menial task sound like climbing up a mountain. But, alas, it needed to be done! She was an adult now, & would be living on her own while attending the academy, so no one would be around to wash her dishes.

_"Welcome to adulthood, Eva, where you're always exhausted & there's always a dish to clean,"_ she thought as she pulled herself off the floor. “Ok ok, I'll wash the cups right now! But...which box were they...in,” she mumbled as she started to make her way to the kitchen area, looking over every box in her search for the cups.

 

Night came, Don & Rick had left after having their fill of pizza & tearful goodbyes, & the leftovers were sitting alone in Eva's small apartment refrigerator. The digital clock that was sitting on a closed cardboard box read 9:47PM. She would usually be up for quite a few more hours, but spending the entire day moving had truly depleted all of her energy.

Eva was in the bathroom, brushing her teeth & other typical nightly routine things. Kindly, Rick offered to put her bed frame together, otherwise she would be sleeping with her mattress on the floor with her absolute lack of energy to do anything more. It would be back problems galore if that was the case. Now that she was going to be hopping back into school, & school that she was actually planning to take very seriously, she needed to take care of herself.

After rinsing her mouth out & brushing her hair, she flipped the light switch & slipped under her sheets. She let out a sigh, still feeling a bit uneasy.

Not about going to school, no, she was quite excited for it really! Typical high school was never able to keep her attention, but having all her classes focused on the mechanical in's & out's of star ships? She was absolutely thrilled! But living on her own so suddenly? After having spent the past few years constantly with her dad & Rick, it was...odd.

She felt both a newfound sense of freedom, but also loneliness. It was a bit reminiscent of when she was living at Stern’s Boarding School, all by herself in that dark & dank dorm room...but not quite the same feeling. The living situation was due to Don, who insisted she have an apartment to keep her away from the “party life” of dorms.

_"Yeah dad, cuz a bunch of mechanic nerds know how to party hard,"_ she joked to herself, rolling her eyes. Her small grin quickly shifted to a frown, & she rolled to her side.

Fingers curled into a grip on her pillow, & a small breathy sigh left her mouth. Maybe it was because she was lonely, in a new & foreign place, but she missed him.

She missed Jordan Wilde so, so much.

Memories of them being together & adjusting to all the new environments they experienced together flooded into her mind, bringing familiar comfort. He may have been a clumsy, dense idiot sometimes, but he was always looking out for her & her “leap before looking” attitude. She couldn't count how many times he had saved her ass from some awful or life threatening situation due to her own stubbornness. Together, they shared new & sometimes bizarre experiences, saw sights humans on Earth could only dream of, & formed a powerful, indescribable bond. 

Her gunner, her protector, & her friend. She never knew how much she would have missed & appreciated him until he was gone.

But now, he was taking on the responsibility of the entire universe, alone on a planet thousands of light years away.

Often, she thought about what it would be like if he didn't become the avatar. What would he be doing then? Would he come back to earth? Would he be back at the military academy that he was enrolled in before being recruited for The Earth Team? Or would he have taken a job somewhere, or gone to college too, or maybe...he would have waited to be her gunner once again, when she would begin her official career.

She would be lying if she said she didn't wish for this every now & again.

Even though she was dying to get back on the track, she would never have another partner like him again. She knew that. She sadly, truly knew that.

Right now, laying in her apartment bedroom in a city hours away from her home & family; She was lonely. And she missed her partner.

Pulling the blanket up around her shoulders, she snuggled deeper into her bed. Her thoughts were keeping her mind awake, but her exhaustion was pulling her eyes to sleep. There was a campus tour tomorrow that she needed to be awake for, bright & early. Classes started next week, so she needed to get familiar with the place before then.

Her eyes slowly blinked until they closed for good, & she whispered a soft message to only one person in particular. Whether they could hear or not didn't matter. She always said it every now & again when she was feeling this particular brand of loneliness. It brought her back to Oban, to that small room in the earth module, the surprisingly sturdy hammock & sheer curtain keeping them apart. It brought her comfort.

“Goodnight, Jordan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK so this was mostly a set up chapter lol, next one is gonna have a little time-skip. Should be posted soon-ish? Sorry if the flashbacks weren't too obvious or the story jumped around everywhere. Like I said, this is just set up!  
> Gee Eva, how come Jess lets you have 2 dads in this fic?


	2. 3rd Semester

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An entire year has passed, & Eva's been trying her very best at Burroughs Academy. Not all of her classes have gone very well for her, sadly. The stress of grades, along with the overwhelming loneliness she has found while at college have worn her down. No one ever said college was going to be easy, but she never expected this. Will a new, oddly familiar freshmen help Eva's college-woes?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God I don't like doing chapter summaries, I make them sound like some TV show next episode preview.

2nd semester finals were absolutely _brutal_.

Her backpack slumped from her shoulder as she fell onto a bench outside the main building, gripping her test results. They were...not great.

She had been excelling at the hands on, technical courses no problem. But the more theory, scientific, & number-heavy mathematics ones? Not really her forte.

Messing with tools & parts were one thing, but she had a hard time grasping things that weren’t visible or tangible. Give her a crate of parts & she could assemble an entire working engine in no time flat. On the other hand, ask her about the speed of radioactive decay in a specific magnetic field? It stops her like a deer in headlights.

Unfortunately, she would have to re-take her “Intro to Electromagnetic Theory” class again, if she wanted to move onto the advanced courses. It would be the only one she would need to re-take, but she knew her dad would not be happy about it. At. All.

She could already hear him on the other end of the phone, yelling his disappointments at her, with Rick in the background trying to calm him down.

_"Please, Rick, keep him as calm as possible."_

* * *

 

The old door clicked behind her when she slowly entered her apartment late that evening, tossing her backpack to the side & placing her Chinese take-out on her kitchen partition counter. Cashew chicken, fried rice, & wontons would soothe her withered soul tonight.

Slipping her shoes off, she brought her food over to the couch & plopped onto it with an exhausted sigh. The TV clicked on, & she sifted through Netflix for a good 5 minutes before settling on watching a random episode of the same sitcom she had already seen at least 3 times. Savory smells filled her nostrils when she popped open her take-out container, thinking _“Time to enter my post-finals depression,”_ as she picked up her chopsticks.

So she sat there, staring mindlessly at the TV, shoving her food into her mouth with low energy. That's how many of her evenings were, regardless of her poor test results looming over her head. Almost every night, she was in her apartment studying or being distracted by Star Racing news on the internet.

Sadly, all the focus on her grades had given her little time to try & make friends, but other people didn’t give her much of an opportunity either. Being at a specialized school like Burroughs had her assume it would be full of calm & friendly nerd types like Stan & Koji, but that wasn't the case. Most of the other students were just as absorbed in their studies, if not more so, & kept to themselves.

Eva had made friends with one girl, a senior, in her Mechanical Drafting class during her first semester. She was very sweet & Eva loved her company, but she graduated at the end of the semester. Not a whole lot of time to develop a friendship when you only had 1 class together.

Other than that, it had mostly been Eva on her own, with her father & Rick visiting once a month. To say it was lonely was an understatement.

 

Before she knew it, multiple episodes of the show had played & her Chinese food leftovers had gone very cold in the open containers. A bright lock screen on her phone presented the time, & jumped at just how late it had gotten without her realizing. It was definitely too late to call her dad about her finals, so she would just have to do it tomorrow. 

Temporary relief settled in for getting to procrastinate on it, but it would still have to happen regardless. She cleaned up the leftover food, switched the TV off, & made her way to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

Her mind was very fuzzy, not helping her mood at all. Perhaps it was exhaustion? Splashing water on her face did nothing to help, other than accidentally soak her bangs that she forgot to pin up. A groan filled the small bathroom as she lightly toweled them off & gave up on the rest of her nightly routine.

It was just one of those lonely, cold, mindless nights where everything felt too pointless to afford any effort. There had been far too many of these lately, but it wasn't like there was much she could do about it. At this point, she almost wished she had taken a dorm instead, so she would have a roommate for company. But there was no point in wishing it now. As if her father would have budged on his anti-dorm policy anyways.

Holding her pillow close to her chest, she curled around it & made herself somewhat comfortable on her bed. Sleeping while holding something had become a bit of a comfort to her. It helped her feel like something else was there with her, at least physically. Maybe a stuffed animal would have been more appropriate, but she made due.

After a few minutes, she closed her eyes & drifted off to sleep. Tomorrow would be another day, but another day alone. Another day of more of the same.

 

* * *

 

“Alright, new semester, new start! I will NOT be failing this class this time! I'm gonna kick your ass, physics!” she exclaimed, pumping her fist in the air as she exited her apartment.

Swiftly zipping her coat up, she jogged down her apartment stairs with her scarf bouncing behind her. It was only the end of January, so there would still be chilly winter weather for another month or so. A strong gust of sharp, freezing wind threatened to knock her over as she left her building, but she stood her ground.

Nothing, _absolutely nothing_ , was going to ruin her fresh start to this new semester.

She quickly & carefully made her way to the bus stop, thankful that the sidewalks had been mostly shoveled & salted. Slipping & breaking her tailbone on slippery pavement didn’t sound like a good start to her day. Her phone's transpiration app stated the bus would be here in about 10 more minutes, so she bounced around online Star Racing news forums to pass the time.

15 minutes passed, but she figured maybe the buses were just a tad slow today. No big deal, she had planned to get to class early anyway. She had time!

15 more minutes passed, which turned into 20 more. Eventually, a full hour had passed. Ok, it was time to panic a little.

Checking the app again, she was surprised to discover it didn’t say anything about a delay, but there was absolutely no sign of any bus. Was there a car crash holding up traffic, maybe? She deeply hoped not, but her class was going to start in 30 minutes & she was far from campus. Oh, how she now wished she had taken her rocket seat with her when she moved!

Groaning, she gripped her backpack straps, then took off down the sidewalk. If bus power wasn't there to get her to class, at least she had leg power.

 

Cutting it close, she made it to her first class in the nick of time, merely 1 minute before the lecture began. The professor gave her a bit of a stink eye when she quickly slipped into a seat in the back, but she was still there on time. “Not a great first impression…” she mumbled to herself as she pulled out her notebook & pencil. The class went fine, thankfully, but then it was off to her next one.

The next professor decided to pop-quiz everyone with a “guess the fluid” style quiz. A bit of a surprise, but nothing she couldn't handle. Though Eva had ace'd the quiz, she spilled a good amount of engine oil on her unfortunately white shirt. Why, today of all days, did she decide to wear white? Thanks to a worn rag & some water she scrubbed the smell out, mostly, but the stain was more than obvious. She wore her coat the rest of the day to hide her shame, even if the already comfortable heating of the building made her sweat like a madman.

 

The rest of the day didn’t improve much for her. All of her preferred lunches were sold out in the cafeteria, she got lost while looking for her 3rd class, & she _did_ slip & fall in the middle of walking traffic. No broken bones of course, but the embarrassment made up for it.

She was absolutely _done_ with today.

 _“What a fucking fantastic start to the semester...couldn't have gone any better. Can’t wait for the rest of it, especially for my next class...dreaded Electromagnetic Theory…”_   

Letting out a sigh, she walked into the classroom & took a seat in the middle row. It was still pretty early, with only 1 other student already seated at a desk. To pass the time, she decided to slip her text book out of her backpack & skim the first few chapters to refresh herself a bit. She was confident she could pass the class this 2nd time around, but internally she felt so defeated having to re-take this class, so the urge to double prepare was strong. Her only saving grace from additional shame was the fact that this class was usually full of freshmen, so she wouldn't have to face any other sophomores.

Over the next 20 minutes, other students slowly started to fill in the classroom. Eva instinctively glanced at each new face that entered the classroom, not paying them much mind. They were just faces she would be seeing in class, after all, nothing more.

About 1 minute before class started, a large boy in a worn out coat & wool beanie ran into the classroom. The commotion he made drew a bit of attention, with other students watching him clamor into a seat right at the very front. The professor merely coughed to break the awkward silence & fiddled with some of his papers before the lecture. This obviously flustered boy began to organize himself, pulling out his own notebook & a very stubby used pencil.

Eva stared curiously, wondering if maybe this guy got lost on the way. A freshman, maybe?

Then, he slipped his coat off & stuffed his beanie into the side pocket. Eva's pencil dropped from her hand & fell to the floor beside her as her mouth sat there agape.

She would immediately recognize that split blond & black hair anywhere.

 _“Is...is that? No, no, it couldn't be...But what if?”_  

Thoughts frantically raced through her head, but she momentarily snapped out of it once the professor walked to the front for his introduction. She tried to rationalize herself after tuning out of her professor's introduction, which was just a repeat of the one he gave last time she took this class.

 _“_ _He’s The Avatar now, yeah, he couldn't be here! He might still have training to do, keeping him busy. No time to be on Earth, no way. He hasn't even contacted me since Oban, so why would he randomly be at my college one day out of the blue? There is no fucking way! Besides, it's just the hair, you haven’t even seen his face. Maybe the style is coming back…”_

Her mind was going a mile a minute, eyes glued to this mystery doppelganger the entire time while her professor's lecture played as background noise. 5 minutes of Eva's staring had passed, & the boy finally noticed the feeling of eyes drilling into the back of his head. He turned slightly & looked up at the rows of desks that rose up behind him, scanning for who the hell was staring at him.

 _“Oh my god. It's him. That's Jordan.”_ How could she ever forget that square jawline, those light freckles across the bridge of his nose, & those bright golden eyes from the very last moment she saw him? There was no doubt in her mind.

Her eyes flew to the front board behind the professor as panic set in; The type of panic where externally you seem cool as a cucumber, but inside you're like a hurricane.

She couldn't make a scene, she couldn't make it obvious she saw him! Would he even recognize her? Besides the obvious fact of aging, her appearance had changed a considerable amount. Her dark black hair had grown down to her mid back, & it was currently tied into a low bun, leftover from her mechanics class. But she had been keeping up with the red dye job on top, so maybe that would give her away?

 _“_ _Wait...duh, Eva! who else has a star & stripe tattoo on their face?! He'll recognize me right away!”_  With one swift motion, she quietly slammed her book upright & hid her face behind it, hoping he hadn't seen her just yet. She stayed like that for a few moments before peeking over the top of her book, checking if he had noticed her.

Sure enough, he was staring right back, mouth opened slightly & golden eyes intently set on her. A sharp, quiet gasp left her lips & she dove back behind the book, her mind repeating, _“He saw me! He knows its me!”_ over & over in her head.

The professor snapped at the boy, your typical “What's so interesting? Pay attention, this will be on the test,” type of scolding educators give. He apologized quietly, too quiet for Eva to hear, & turned to the front of the classroom. Slowly, she set her book back down & spent the rest of her class entirely absorbed in all the questions plaguing her mind. She was so lost in her thoughts that, in fact, that she hadn't seen the boy slip out of the classroom immediately when class was over.

When she had snapped out of her haze & realized her missed chance, she scrambled to gather her things & dashed out of the classroom.

 

The evening sun was setting by the time she had finished roaming the entire campus for any sign of the boy. Unless he was in another classroom already, there was no sign of him anywhere.

She almost wondered if it really was him, or if she was just projecting onto some random new student who had a similar hairstyle. Can loneliness make you see things like this? She was too exhausted to question further.

There was nothing really left to do besides go home & start again tomorrow. Maybe she would see him around campus…? If anything, she would be having the same class again the day after, so maybe she could get a better look at him then. Excitment morphed into a disgustingly sour curiosity shrouded in disappointment.

Slowly, she made her way to the bus stop, repeating the same questions over & over in her head in shallow attempts for answers. How on could he possibly be on Earth, & at her college of all places? It seemed way too coincidental to make any sense. These thoughts occupied her mind the entire journey home.

By the time she reached her apartment door, she settled on the conclusion that the boy was not Jordan & she was just being a creep to a random new student with similar hair.

She had so much hope, more than she would have liked to admit. Seeing a familiar face would have been great, but if it was Jordan, one of the last people she ever expected to see again? There were few words to describe how happy that would have made her.

That's what made this disappointment so absolutely heartbreaking.

The day started with strong optimism, only to have it gradually be chipped away through all her minor disasters as the day went on. Foolishly thinking she saw Jordan, & knowing it was just her stupid, dreaded loneliness making her see things, was the final nail in the coffin. There was nothing she wanted more than to throw herself into bed & sleep it all away.

Sniffling back some tears, she opened her apartment door & kicked her shoes off as she dropped her bag by the door. “I need a shower...need to toss this shirt out too,” she grumbled, slipping the soiled shirt off & tossing it on the floor. She would get to it later. Ready to drown her sorrows in steaming hot water, she made her way to the bathroom.

 

45 minutes later, she emerged, dressed in some old pajama pants & black tank top. She would have been in there longer, but hot water doesn’t last forever, & she didn’t need a cold shower during winter. Eva draped her towel around her neck to keep her shoulders dry from her damp hair & trudged into her kitchen.

“Hmm…frozen meal or leftovers,” she mumbled sadly to herself while eyes scanned the inside of her refrigerator. After 5 minutes, she ended up closing the fridge & opted for some instant ramen instead. Some nice, warm & sodium filled comfort food to end her terrible day.

The stove burner clicked on, & she placed a small pot of water on top. A tear managed escaped her eye, & she quickly wiped it away with her towel. She thought she had gotten all of her emotions out during her shower, but there still seemed to be some tears left inside. Her eyes were already red & slightly puffy from the intensity of her sobs, & she didn't need it get any worse. It was good that she was letting out her bottled up emotions from all her lonely, stressful days, but she didn’t want to go to class the next day looking like a depressed tomato.

A lone sigh was the only sound in her kitchen as she stared at the water, only warm enough to start forming a tiny layer of bubbles at the bottom.

Worn, & so tired from everything, she really felt the force of her mental & emotional exhaustion in that moment. Alone in her kitchen, cooking instant noodles with only the light from above the sink illuminating the stove top, only served to drive the feeling home.

 

A sudden loud knock came from her front door, making her jump in surprise. Glancing at the stove clock, saw it was almost 8:30PM. Who the hell would be knocking on her door this late?

She almost had no energy to be mad. _Almost_.

She was exhausted, she looked like shit, she was hungrily waiting for her noodles, & she was in no mood to deal with some random stranger probably asking for gas money or something. 

Letting out a huff, she somewhat stomped to the door, gripping the doorknob & cracking it open just enough to see who the hell it could be. But, her hand immediately dropped from the doorknob once she caught a glimpse of the stranger, causing the door to slowly swing open wider.

The moon was shining right behind the person, darkening their face as they loomed over her. Her body went numb, the chill of the winter air barely effecting her bare skin. Swollen eyes gazed at the figure in front of her, tears threatening to escape once again. She had no energy left to keep them at bay as it was, but she was in a state of stunned silence for the moment. For the 2nd time today, she couldn't believe it.

Jordan Wilde furrowed his incredibly thick eyebrows & gave her a soft smile, lifting his hand up in a small wave.

“Hey, Molly.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BOY I didn't expect this chapter to be so depressing, but what are you gonna do LOL? Poor Eva's just lonely & stressed. :'c But now that Jordan's here, we can get to some good, happy stuff! Next chapter hopefully will be soon~


	3. What Have You Been Up To?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jordan & Eva catch up on what they've both been doing the past 7 years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if it's been 6 or 7 years. I can't math well. Eva's turning 22 in spring so just roll with it.

Minutes passed while they stood outside Eva's apartment door, drawing out the awkward stare between the two. Eva was completely stunned, & Jordan was not entirely sure what to do.

“Uhm, Molly?” he asked nervously, leaning down a bit to see if perhaps something was wrong. She flinched ever so slightly when she got a better glimpse of his face. “Jor...Jordan? Is it really you…?” she asked, slowly reaching out to lightly brush her fingertips against the side of his face, just in case she was somehow imagining all of this.

Now that she could see him up close, he looked fairly older. He was already a pretty big guy when they first met, but he was even taller now, bulkier, face slightly longer & some facial hair stubble that she could feel as she ran her fingers along his cheek. Jordan smiled softly and placed his own hand gently on hers, bringing it off his face & down between them. “Yeah, of course. It's me, for real.”

Instantly, she was gripping him around the waist, clinging to him as if he would slip from her arms at any moment & vanish into thin air. The dam keeping her tears back shattered, accompanied by loud wails coming from Eva. Honestly, Jordan wasn't expecting _this_ intense of a reaction.

“M-Molly! H-hold on, let's get inside, your hair is damp...you don't need to catch a cold...M-Molly?” He attempted to break away from her gently, but she refused to let go, arms locked around him. Sighing, he leaned down slightly & curled his arms around her back to return the embrace. “Heh, I missed you too…”

They stayed like that for a small while before a windy chill swept over them. Eva, being wrapped up in the large boy arms, didn’t notice it herself. Jordan felt it though, & it made a small shiver to run up his sides. “Burr! Ok Mols, let’s get inside now..,” he placed his hands gently on her bare shoulders, & found them to be trembling. Finally, she spoke up through her muffled sobs, fingers clutching at his old coat even tighter, “Ugh, J-Jordan...I n-n-never thought that...sniff...that I would s-see you again…!”

Another sigh came from the boy, one filled with concern but with a slight note of happiness to know that she missed him so, “I know, Molly...but I'm here now...Please, can we go inside? You'll get sick…” She loosened her grip & nodded into his chest before slowly backing away from him. Damp bangs kept her face hidden, head tilted down at the ground. Jordan only smiled & placed his hand on her back, turning her gently & leading her inside. He followed in after her, quickly closing the door behind him.

“Its dark in here...where’s the light…? Oh, here.” The single light of the living room bloomed to life with a flip of the switch, thanks to Jordan. Eva stood there, motionless, face still aimed down at the floor. “...Please take your sh-shoes off…” she mumbled, & so he quickly slipped them off before stepping onto the carpet. “Uh, nice place you got, Mols…” he said, glancing around as he placed his worn out sneakers among Eva's shoes next to the door. When his eyes fell back on her, he saw her entire body was shaking.

“Oh, are you cold? Uh, should I grab you a sweater? Wait, i wouldn't know where...um, blanket, blanket…” Jordan started stumbling around the living room, finally spotting a fleece throw-over lazily tossed over the arm of the couch. He snatched it & pulled it around Eva's shoulders, hoping he would get her to lift her face up to him again, “Better?”

Eva didn’t respond. She continued shaking, her hands curling into tight fists. He only gazed at her with concern, fuzzy eyebrows creased as he waited for her to speak up.

“W-where...why…” the words slowly exited her mouth as Jordan tried to catch a glimpse of her expression, which was still glued to the floor. She finally lifted her head gradually, & he could see her still crying eyes hidden past the parts in her hair & was taken aback.

Eva looked like an absolute mess: Eyes red & swollen, wet streams of tears painting her face, & damp hair strung all about. He hadn't even noticed the tear-soaked spots in the carpet below her until now. “Why didn't you contact me...? where were you, all these years…?” she finally asked in a quiet voice, looking directly into his golden eyes. Sadness had evolved to anger, & she had a sharpness in her cracked voice that punched Jordan right in his gut.

He was afraid of this would happen. Jordan's eyes darted to the side, & he took a half step back from her when he didnt know how to answer.

This only made her angrier, & she responded with step forward to close the gap between them, raising her voice, “If you were here, on _Earth_ , why didn’t you contact me?! I-I'm still here, I've _been_ here! I can't count how many times I've wondered how you were, worried over you, needed to know! Do you know how lonely I've been, how much I've needed a friend like you these past months? You're the fucking Avatar, can’t you see that? Jordan, why...w-why didn't you come see me? Why are you here now? I'm… so-so confused…”

She was panting now, all of her emotions spilling out of her in an exhausting fury. Tears were still steadily running down her cheeks, but she was still & quiet now. All she did was stare at him, awaiting his reply. None came from Jordan as looked at the floor. Once he formed some sort of acceptable answer in his head, he lifted his eyes to meet her own. His gloved hand moved, reaching for her cheek, but stopped mid-motion.

The thought that maybe he would break her further if he touched her kept him still. It was so obvious that she had been trying hard all this time to keep it together, keeping the pieces glued & tapped together with every fiber of her mental being. Alas, they could only do so much & last so long. Jordan hadn’t been there to see her struggles, nor was he observing them with his powers these past years. But, he didn’t need to; She was crumbling before him, plain as day, the end result unfolding. That’s why he was so afraid to touch her, not knowing if his touch would shatter her like glass in this state. He had to consider it seriously, as the very last thing he _ever_ wanted to do was hurt Eva.

After a few moments of contemplating, he moved to rest his hand on her star-kissed cheek & brushed her tears away with his thumb. Maybe there was a small chance he could be forgiven, & be a source of comfort instead of pain. A lump formed in his throat as he examined her reaction. Eva immediately softened with his touch, & he smiled thankfully. She couldn't help but notice his hands were slightly larger, rough, & so very warm on her skin. “I'm sorry, I really...I really am,” he said in a low voice. “Here, let's sit on the couch & talk, ok…?”

 

* * *

 

They sat together quietly in the living room, settled right next to each other on the couch. Eva held the fleece blanket around her shoulders with one hand, & gripping Jordan’s coat sleeve with the other. It seemed she was still afraid of him disappearing into thin air any second, so she kept a hold on him somewhat. He kept his eyes on her, carefully choosing his words before he spoke up, “Molly...I-”

“Hold on,” she interrupted him, & his mouth snapped shut immediately. “Eva. That’s my name, my _actual_ name.”

She had almost forgotten, but there was never a good time to tell Jordan the truth behind her hidden identity while they were on Alwas & Oban. Hearing him call her "Molly" just felt so natural, she didn’t think about mentioning this until now. “Wha-wait, actual name? ...Eva, huh? O-Ok...Uh, care to clarify?” She nodded before continuing, “Yeah, of course, uh, you see…”

Eva recounted her story to him, starting way back from the very beginning when she was a child. Jordan’s dramatically shifted during her story, showing through the expressions on his face as Eva spoke. Most of them, though, were ones of sadness & pity. After all, Eva's story was mostly a very unhappy one. He had no idea about her mother Maya, Stern Boarding School, Don’s neglect; Absolutely none of it.

“Mol-uh, Eva, I didn’t know...I sorta wish you had told me when we were on Oban, but-” he spoke when she finished her personal history lesson, scratching the back of his head, “-I mean, I get why you didn’t either...Man, I wasn’t expecting such a sad story behind it...But you’re doing ok now, right?” The topic of her current family life bringing a small smile to her face, & she nodded before answering, “Yeah, it’s pretty great now, actually...Dad & I are doing fine, we’ve reconciled a lot...and Rick’s in the picture now too. Honestly, I didn’t see him & dad getting together, but it sorta became more obv-”

Jordan interrupted her by quickly raising a hand, one single eyebrow raised in confusion, “Wait, together? Like, _together_ together? In the dating way?” Eva let out a slight chuckle, rolling her hand to emphasize her words, “Uh, yeaahhh? They’ve been dating for, like, almost 2 years now. Got a problem with it, gunner boy?” “N-no, of course not! Its 2089, I’m no homophobe, jeez! I just, wasn’t expecting them to get together...Uh, no offence, of course,” he said, waving his hands in defense.

Small laughs came from Eva before she reached out to smack his shoulder playfully, “Of course you aren’t, I’m just mess’n with ya! I get it though, I didn’t expect it either. But they’re happy, so I’m happy for em!” Jordan agreed & nodded before taking a second to appreciate the moment. It really felt like they were back to the old days, when they’d chat about this & that between races in the Earth pit or module, jokingly messing around with each other like teens do. Familiar, comforting, & peaceful were all accurate words to describe the atmosphere.

“Oh, wait, I got really carried away with me, my bad.” Eva stated, leaning into Jordan’s personal space unintentionally as she spoke, “You need to tell me why you’re here! Like, you’re still The Avatar right? Why are you on Earth then, at Burroughs? And why now, like-”

Jordan swiftly placed a finger on her lips, startling her but effectively silencing her as well, “Hey hey hey whoa, this isn’t 20 questions, Eva. Let me start of with, yeah, I’m still The Avatar-" She leaned back, her lips parting from his finger & formed a focused expression while she listened to him intently.

"-but I’ve finished my training. Did about...uh, 5, 6 months ago maybe? Anyways, I still have all the regular Avatar duties, but The Creators told me I could live out a life on Earth for as long as I want if I don't slack off. They put up a bit of a fight, saying _‘oh but you'll get distracted, or ignore your duties for mortal pleasures!’_ " His hands were lifted to make physical air quotes with his fingers through this specific part of his speech, along with a mocking tone of voice, "Whatever that means. But Satis was walking around Alwas while still being The Avatar, remember? So I asked why I couldn't get the same treatment. They basically said they couldn't really stop him, so as long as he kept up with his duties, didn’t abuse his powers, & returned to Oban if needed, that he could live an outwardly normal life for a while. It’s the same deal.”

Eva did remember the small elder alien, & his wacky personality that seemed so unfitting of his actual status. She never really considered his life outside of what she saw during the great race, but nothing did seem out of the ordinary most of the time, “Ok, yeah, that makes sense...So, then, did you come here right after you finished training?” A breath hitched in Jordan's throat slightly, & he turned his head slightly to avoid her eyes. She already made it clear that she was upset with him for not contacting her earlier, & he was afraid of bringing that anger back with his excuses.

“Y-Yeah, I’ve been on Earth for about 4 months I think? I’ve been spending most of it trying to fit back into society. It’s not like a guy who’s been missing for almost 6 or 7 years can just _show up_ again. I’m sure the government has declared me missing or dead or something, since that’d be the easiest. Am I right?” The tone of his voice was less of a question, & more of a melancholy statement. And true it was.

Eva could never forget the strict rules laid out for everyone who returned from Oban, & the pathetic formal status they gave Jordan in government records.  A mere breath of truth from The Great Race would land her, her family, Stan & Koji in the hottest metaphorical water. “You’re missing in action, according to them," she sighed, "We didn’t tell them about you specifically becoming The Avatar, though. Dad thought that could get too messy with political junk.”

“Mmm, I see…” he practically whispered, propping his elbow up on the arm of the couch & resting his chin in his palm. “Makes sense, I guess. Better missing than dead though, heh. Hope they broke the news to mom gently…” His voice trailed off there.

The girl's eyes lowered to her hand that was still gripped to his sleeve. She knew the pain of losing a parent, but she couldn't imagine the agony of the reverse. The worst part about it was that Jordan was only recorded as missing, so there would be a lingering hope that he was still out there, alive, & he would come home someday. If Jordan's mom still held onto that hope, even after all these years, Eva wouldn't blame her.

“A-Anyway,” he spoke up, breaking the awkward silence, “So I’ve mostly been bumming around, doing odd jobs here & there to try & get on my feet. It’s been going...alright? I guess?” His shoulders shrugged, making Eva blink in response, “Uh, is it the good kind of alright, or the bad kind?” she asked, lifting one eyebrow.  Jordan nervously chuckled a bit, “O-Ok, the bad kind I guess. I have a bit of cash to my name, but I don’t...really...have a place to live at the moment…? A real place, at least. I have a bunk in a shelter a little ways off campus, but that’s about it...B-But hey! I’m The Avatar, & that does have some human perks. I don’t need to eat or sleep a whole lot, though I do really enjoy doing em anyway...Helps to make me seem more human too, haha!” Though he tried to inject humor into his fairly humorless situation, Eva only responded by crossing her arms. His fake laughs quickly ceased, & an appropriately timed drop of sweat rolled down his temple.

She huffed & yanked on his ear, as if she were a nagging mother herself, “You’re an idiot, ya know that? I was here, you could have asked for help! You knew that, right?” Jordan released himself from her painful ear tugging & shook his head side to side, giving a flustered response, “H-hold on, no, I didn’t, seriously! Even if I’m still The Avatar, The Creators made it very clear that I wasn’t supposed to use my powers while acting out my human life on Earth. I can, I guess, but emergencies only. Though...ok...if we’re being completely, 100% truthful...I _maaay_ have pulled some strings to get here...Burroughs, I mean.”

A sheepish grin spread across his face, & Eva’s stern expression melted to one of shock, “Jordan Wilde, oh my god, you didn’t. You seriously broke into Burroughs?” He blinked at her statement, stunned she would put it in such negative terms, “B-Broke into? I wouldn’t put it like that! This ain’t a bank, Eva. The thing is, I _may_ have Avatar-magic’d myself onto the enrollment list...But that was it, ok? The only thing, I swear! My text books, supplies, anything else I paid with my own hard-earned money!” There was a pause, but then a mountain of giggles & snickers erupted from Eva. Really, she couldn't blame him one bit! If she could have just “Avatar magic’d” herself into college, she would have a long time ago.

“O-Ok, hehe, so you’re here, but uh, why? What made you think ‘Hmm I have 10,000 years, literally all the time in the world, let’s get my degree!’?” “Well I need a degree to get a job, don’t I, miss know it all?” He teased, jokingly poking at her forehead. Eva puffed her cheeks out in a pout, but let him continue, “Look, me enrolling at Burroughs while you're here was a complete coincidence, straight up. It was just the closest college to where I already was hanging around, & I don’t have much on me to afford traveling. I figured I could stay here, get my bachelors in mechanics, then maybe hop into the racing circuit…”

Eva tilted her head at this, remembering Jordan specifically state he was _not_ a pilot, but a gunner. “Wait, gunners don’t really need mechanic knowledge, right? Then why Burroughs? Or, why even go into the racing circuit?” His eyes shifted away again, avoiding Eva’s. He needed to find the right words again.

After a few moments, he looked back at her with a sudden serious expression, & in a low voice he said, “You. To find you.”

Her mouth dropped open in surprise, not expecting that kind of blunt answer. “I haven’t used my Avatar powers at all to see you since you left Oban. I had no idea where you were, how you where, what you were up to, nothing...But, since coming to Earth, the only thing giving me any direction was _you_. Honestly, Eva, I...I thought the creators were right when they said I should try to forget about you. That you would just be a painful distraction. And I _tried_ to forget...Avatar training was a great way to keep you off my mind, but of course, I never really did.

"Uh, forget about you, I mean...I always wondered how you were doing, if Don was still on your ass, how school was going, if you’ve made any friends...Nothing was going to come of wondering, but I already told myself I wouldn't check in on you. Once I finished my training, though, it was obvious to me that I'd really never stop thinking about you completely. I'd catch myself thinking 'I hope Molly's doing ok, I wonder what she's up to?' way more times than I could count.

"I knew by then that nothing was going to shake you from my mind, not ever. Things are surprisingly boring on the Avatar duty-side of things when the universe is generally peaceful. So, what is there to even do at that point but sit & wonder? That's kinda what made me start asking about living back on Earth. Figured I'd be a good way to kill 2 birds with one stone: keep myself entertained & busy outside of Avatar stuff, & find out how you were & what you were up to.

"So, once I got here, I figured the best way to find you would have been the way I met you: Racing. I’d get my degree, get a job as a star racer mechanic, & I’d find you again somewhere on the track. I thought you’d already be out there racing, winning trophies & prizes by the time I was here, but I guess we met again under different circumstances, huh?” Both Jordan & Eva had a red hue to their cheeks, but for different reasons. Jordan had just spilled his romantic guts all over the place, & Eva was trying to take it all in while feeling a deep pang in her heart. Emotions flared inside her as he laid it out crystal clear that he had been thinking of her & missed her all these years.

It made her feel really, really special.

“W-we sure did! You would not believe how confused I was seeing you in class, Jordan! I almost lost my pencil because of you, & I couldn't pay attention for the rest of the lecture!” Eva joked, trying to turn the mood back to a more humorous one. Jordan laughed nervously back, thankful for the change of tone. He didn't want to make it seem like he had only romantic intentions behind wanting to see her, of course not! “You think you were surprised? I swear I was staring for, like, 5 straight minutes before the professor called me out. I mean, what are the chances?!”

They shared a laugh, leaning against each others shoulders. Their laughs slowly dissipated, & they just took a moment to smile at each other. “...So,” Eva spoke first, looking into Jordan's golden eyes, “you're here to stay, right…? I'm not gonna show up to class one day, & you'll be gone...forever...right…?” Sadness tainted her voice as her sentence went on, once again shifting the tone of the conversation.

Her hand gripped his coat sleeve tighter, unintentionally pulling his arm towards her slightly. Jordan finally looked down to acknowledge her grip, not really having noticed it this entire time. It was obvious to him now how worried she was about this. He took a deep breath & yanked his arm from her, causing her to let out a small gasp. Before she could react further, he had that same arm wrapped around her shoulders, tousling her hair with his other free hand. “H-hey!” she yelled, trying to sound upset, though her involuntary giggling suggested otherwise. “Of course I'm here to stay, dummy! I may have to head back to Oban if something comes up, but I promise to come right back. Instant teleportation is, not gonna lie, _pretty_ convenient for such a thing, heh.”

Jordan flashed his goofy, lopsided grin at her, & all Eva could do was smile wide back at him. She lifted her arms up, wrapping them around his neck in a hug, “Good, don't you dare break that promise, or I'll kick your ass. And, welcome back, Jordan.” He smiled wider & shifted his arms to hug her back, “Wouldn't have it any other way...It's good to be back, Mo-sorry, Eva.” When she pulled back, she shrugged, smirking at him,

“Ya know what? Molly's fine too. Do me a favor though, dude...Go take a shower, you kinda reek…” She plugged her nose & waved her hand in front of it, exaggerating a bit for comedic effect. Jordan squinted before pulling open his coat & leaning down to take a whiff. He recoiled slightly, face scrunched up in disgust,“ _Ugh_ , ok actually you’re not wrong. Uh, got a towel I could borrow?”

 

* * *

 

Later, Jordan walked back out of Eva's bathroom & into the living room, body fresh & clean but with the same clothes back on. Sadly he didn't have a change of clothes with him, but at least his body didn’t stink of BO. It was incredibly refreshing to take a shower in a proper bathroom instead of a stall at the shelter, even if he had to use lavender scented body wash. It actually smelled pretty nice.

Eva had just slurped the last of her instant ramen & placed the empty bowl on her small coffee table. Looking up, she jerked a thumb towards the kitchen when she noticed him walk in, “Help yourself to whatever if you're hungry.” Jordan shook his head & just made himself comfy on the couch beside her, stretching his arms out over the back. “Nah, don't worry. Don't need to eat, remember?” “Oh yeah…well, offers still open if you feel like it!”

He thanked her & let out a content sigh, closing his eyes to bask in his refreshed & clean feeling. Shifting her posture, Eva leaned over to him & gently scratched at his beard scruff while he had his eyes closed. “Ya know, if you wanted to shave, I have a razor. It's for like, legs, but a razor’s a razor.” He jumped in surprise at her touch, face flushed, “It’s no big, I don't mind the stubble, really. Helps keep my face warm with the weather, ya know? Built in ski mask! Besides, don't you think I look _ruggedly handsome_ with it?” Bringing his hand to his chin, he lifted one eyebrow & creased the other in a fake seductive pose. Eva burst out in laughter, kicking her feet into his leg to shove him away, “More like a rugged hobo! Really fitting into your ‘normal every day homeless college student’ Earth persona, huh?”

Jordan made a childish frown & crossed his arms, “Wow, right in my pride. I am so, so wounded. Ouch, oof, God, it hurts.” Jordan rolled his eyes as he went on, his words dripping with sarcasm. This only made Eva laugh even more, her body curling up against the couch as she grabbed her gut. Jordan smiled, once again appreciating how comfortable & familiar this felt.

When her laughs subsided, Eva blinked & suddenly snatched her phone off the coffee table, taking a look at the time on her lock screen. “Oh shit, 1:23AM? Where did the time go…?” The boy shrugged, “I guess time flies when you're catching up? Do you, uh...need me to leave?”

He honestly didn't want to go. After finding Eva again, discussing what he had been doing these last 6 years, & establishing that he was here to stay, he just wanted to be in her company. At least, just a little longer.

“Actually, why don't you just stay over? It'll be like a sleepover!” Eva cheered, & Jordan was more than happy to accept this offer. “Just like old times, eh? Well, where's my mattress then!? Don't forget to grab the room-separating curtain!” Giggling, she shook her head & rose from the couch, “I don't have a curtain, nor a hammock for myself, but I can drag my bed out here! I mean, why the hell not? It's a sleepover!” He agreed & got up to go help out. Honestly, it sounded like fun! Not to mention, it would be a little weird staying with Eva in her bedroom all night like a typical sleep over you’d have as a child. That was her private space, & he wasn't about to invade it like some weird, pushy guy.

So, they went to Eva's bedroom & dragged her mattress out, plopping it in the middle of the floor in front of the couch. It was a but of a tight squeeze, & they had to move the coffee table into the kitchen, but otherwise it was just fine. They piled on every single pillow, cushion, & blanket in the apartment onto the mattress, making a cozy nest. Eva opened Netflix, initially for background noise, but Jordan pointed out a new season of a show he had been a fan of back before The Great Race, & asked to catch up on it. She corrected him that he'd actually missed 3 new seasons of it, so she put it on.

Despite his excitement for new episodes, they began talking again & quickly ignored the TV. Hours passed while they asked each other miscellaneous questions, mostly concerning the time they had been apart. Jordan mostly inquired about how high school went, if it was easy to adjust back to life with her dad, & why she was at Burroughs instead of racing. This lead her to explain her deal with her father, which Jordan couldn't find an issue with either. For once, he could see eye-to-eye with Don. Besides, if Eva was happy with it, that's what mattered.

She loaded him with questions too, like what he had specifically been doing on Oban, & what his training exactly entailed. A lot of meditation & focusing his thoughts, she found out. Jordan didn’t elaborate much further, as it was sort of hard to explain a job that was mostly mental work & honestly not very grand. She also asked him how his body functioned, since he didn't need to sleep or eat. It was perplexing to her that he looked older, as if he was genuinely 23 years old, since the Avatar was supposed to be in duty for 10,000 years. He said he didn't fully understand it himself, but aside from not needing to eat or sleep, his body still functioned normally & aged in earth years, though he wouldn't get sick or injured easily. Maybe he would stop aging, eventually, but for now he wasn't sure. The Creators didn't bother to explain much to him about that, so he assumed they didn't need to.

They talked about anything & everything that night, while laying in Eva's living room, wrapped up in blankets & each other's company. The mattress was only a full size, so they had to squeeze together a bit. They didn't mind though, not at all, as the only thing keeping their focus was each other. A pastel light began to creep through the blinds, though both of them barely noticed it.

Time became irrelevant to them as their conversations continued on into the early morning.

 

* * *

 

Jordan had been in the middle of a story about an odd job he had taken up while on Earth, when he felt something warm wrap around his right arm. He stopped mid-sentence & glanced over, seeing an exhausted looking Eva with closed eyes curled up around his arm, hugging it close to her. A warm blush spread across his face, & he whispered to her just in case, “Uh, Molly…? You awake?”

Eva grumbled something in response, but it was too quiet for him to hear. He sighed, knowing she was probably passing out due to exhaustion. She already looked so tired when he arrived, worn from her awful day. The excitement kept her up enough for them to talk most of the night away, but that energy would of course only make her crash eventually.

Barely a minute passed before small snores came from her sleeping form, her face burying itself into his bicep. “Damn it Molly, stop being so adorable…” he joked to himself, reaching over to brush the sides of her bangs from her face. Eva had dried tear stains on her cheeks, puffy red eyelids, & slightly messy hair, but such a wonderfully peaceful expression on her face. Jordan thought she looked beautiful.

“Ya know, Mols…” he whispered to himself, bringing back his free hand back to rest on his chest, “...I still love you...I never stopped loving you, really...I'll tell you that someday, I will...For now though, I'm just happy to be here...so...sleep tight, get some rest...you deserve it.”

Maybe he said it now because he was cowardly. Or, maybe he had planned to say it all along but never got a chance before she had drifted off. He figured it didn't matter much anymore. He never intended to rush into her life & sweep her off her feet. Jordan wasn't the brightest crayon in the box by far, but he knew with time she would change. It's not like she ever returned his feelings, not that she really had much time to. Hell, she could have already been in a relationship or forgotten him completely since they were apart.

He was relieved to know none of these things were true. She was still the same girl he had grown & fostered feelings for, intentionally or not, all these years. To merely be accepted back into her life with open arms was the happiest situation he could have hoped for. He would tell her about his feelings later, when the time was right.

Adjusting her blanket a bit for her, he made himself a bit more comfortable & closed his eyes as well, drifting off into the most peaceful sleep he had had since his return to Earth.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god I never intended for this chapter to be so long H. I add too many details whoops. Anyways, hope you enjoyed some mushy wholesome goodness. Jordan should try & do some laundry, stinky boi


	4. Familiarity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after Eva & Jordan's sleep over. Eva may have overslept.

Bright light filtered through the blinds & slowly shifted directly onto Eva's face. The sunbeams burned at her closed eyelids, which roused her from her deep & comfortable sleep. Shielding her tender eyes with her hand, she grumbled & lifted herself off the mattress, feeling her body leave something warm. She was still coming back to the real world, & slowly remembered the events of last night as she glanced around her living room.

Turning to her left, she saw her once thought long lost friend, Jordan Wilde, still sound asleep with his right arm reached out to her. She couldn’t help but smile, relieved that he really was still here. With her own propped up arm placed between her body & his arm, a realization came to her as her torso faintly craved a lost warmth. A hot blush filled her cheeks once she realized she had unintentionally been cuddling Jordan's arm in her sleep, which was _especially_ embarrassing considering he probably knew, with not needing to sleep & all.

She was immensely glad that he was still unconscious so she could wear out the embarrassment. Quickly, she lifted herself from the mattress & made her way to the bathroom, not bothering to keep quiet as she already knew Jordan could sleep through a hurricane.

In the short time it took Eva to prep herself for the day, Jordan had already woken up & was stretching his arms while sitting up on the mattress. A grin formed on her face & she called from the small hallway, “Morning. Decided to sleep?”

He turned to Eva & blushed slightly, “O-Oh yeah, well you did so I figured I'd catch some Z's as well. You sorta had me trapped, haha, s-so… “ Eva's face flared up again, & she looked off to the side to avoid eye contact, “Y-Yeah, uh, sorry, I've gotten into that kinda habit...Oh, uh, h-hugging something in my sleep I mean...You could have moved me, ya know.” The Avatar chuckled a bit, finding her embarrassment endearing. Eva was usually the stubborn & prideful type, so these moments were few & far between. “Nah, I could tell how exhausted you were. I didn't mind, unless...uh, you did?”

“Nah! W-Well, it's not the first time we've accidentally fallen asleep together, right? No big deal, haha!” Eva tried to joke, shrugging her shoulders in an exaggerated manner. Jordan nodded, trying to shake off the slight awkwardness before standing up off the mattress, “Can I have a shot at the bathroom, Molly?”

Eva’s heart skipped a beat ever so slightly, still not completely adjusted to her old nickname being in use again, “Y-Yeah, go for it--aaaauuuhhh!” Her speech molded into a yawn, & she covered her mouth with her hand in an attempt to keep it contained. “What time is it anyways?” she slurred, rubbing her worn eyes with closed fists. Jordan shrugged, glancing back at the window to study the beams of sun through the blinds, “Not entirely sure, but from the look of the light coming from the window...I'd say, maybe noon-ish?”

She froze for a split second, her heart dropping, “N-Noon?! Noon!” Eva pushed past Jordan & leapt for her phone swiftly, snatching it up in her hands. The boy spun around in surprise as he followed her with his eyes, “Y-Yeah, maybe? Everything ok?”

“No, no, no, not ok! I had a class at 9! Fuck, fuck, _fuck!_ ” Panic erupted in Eva as she clicked her lock screen on; The time read 12:48PM.

Color left her face & her body crumpled with defeat onto the floor, which caused Jordan slowly step forward with his arms stretched out in concern, “L-Let me guess, you missed it…?” A long, drawn out groan from the floor was all she could respond with. She clutched the sides of her drooping head & just glared at her phone, it almost mocking her as the screen's back light beamed up at her, “I completely missed it. It was my first advanced course too...Oh my God, the professor is going to hate me…”

Jordan gently patted her shoulders, trying to reassure her, “H-Hey, then it's just the first one! Maybe the professor is the type to do ice breakers on the first day, or just generally take it easy. I doubt you missed much, Mols!” Eva turned her face up to him slowly, a deeply intimidating scowl darkening her face. He jumped & removed his hand from her shoulders promptly, gulping down a nervous lump in his throat as he waited for her to speak, terrified of Eva’s potential wrath.

She spoke flatly, “No. Mr. Alston is notorious for being one of the harshest professors on campus. He doesn't tolerate goofing off, he dives right into the material from day one, & he _hates_ students who skip. This is a disaster, Jordan, a disaster…” The boy’s eyebrows creased together, fear shifting to worry. He felt a bit like a fool now for trying to cheer her up in this situation, especially when knew she had such an awful time lately, especially yesterday. He didn't want it to continue on into a new day.

“Well…” Eva mumbled, finally done with her sulking, “...I guess I should send an email apologizing for missing class…Ask if I can make it up...Or ask what I missed...ugh.” Sliding her thumb over the screen, she unlocked her phone & tapped open her email app. She didn't think much of the ‘3 new emails’ note on her alerts, assuming it was spam or something.

However, she was surprised to see an email at the top from the very same professor she was speaking of, “‘Apologies’…? What the heck kind of subject title is that for an email…?” She tapped the email open & scanned the words carefully.

After a few minutes, Eva jumped from the floor, startling Jordan into jumping back from the sudden movement. She punched the air with one fist, happily exclaiming, “Class was canceled! I didn't miss it! Aw yes!” Relief filled her entire being & she took a deep breath before exhaling, “He said he had to cancel due to some family business, but didn’t specify much...He said class is on next week though, so I bet it's no big deal! I'm just so relieved I didn't miss it! Maybe my luck's turning around, eh?” Eva gleamed a smile at Jordan's direction, & he returned it with his own gin. He hoped that was the case, & that the luck would keep up for her.

He may be the Avatar, all powerful master of the universe, but even he doesn't control the fates like this, so all he could do was wish things would continue to get easier on her weary soul. 

Eva didn’t believe in such a thing anyways, not after discovering her entire life had been puppeteered by some angry space-crow monster. Even if there was such a thing as fate, Eva didn’t want to accept it; She was here to pave her own path.

Maybe it was a factor of being on her own for so many of her younger years, but she developed a very strict loner mentality of _‘If you want a happy life, you need to make it. No one else will help you, so work your hardest at it.’_ Even after repairing her relationship with Don & gaining another family member in Rick, she still kept up a strong sense of independence. Her mantra had been an extra big push for her since starting college, & most likely the reason why she had been working so hard. But it was pretty obvious to everyone but her that it wasn’t necessarily working, & just wearing her down as she continued to work on everything in life alone.

Jordan saw it especially, despite only having met Eva again for barely a day.  And he was absolutely not letting her sink to that low of a point again; He had already promised that to himself. What kind of friend would he be if he didn’t forcibly make his stubborn, lone wolf friend take a break & accept some help every now & again when she was worn to the bones? Truthfully, there was a bit of guilt leading Jordan to this decision. It’s not like he could have helped, having been away for so long on a planet literally light years away, but hopelessly wished he could have still been there for her somehow. His only solace was that he was here now, & would be, for as long as she allowed him. He had all the time in the world to be there for her.

“Good, I'm happy for ya Mols! Any other classes today?” Eva thought for a moment, “Oh yeah, but not until 4:10. What about you?” Jordan shook his head, “Nah, I don't have many classes in general. I wasn't rushing to getting my degree, so I spaced my classes out a bit. Figured that’d be best since school work was never my strong point, heh.” _"_

_Makes sense"_ , Eva thought, having assumed the military academy he was previously enrolled in was not even close to as demanding as Burroughs in the book-smarts department. If only Jordan could get grades on sharp shooting, then he’d graduate in no time. “Alright then!” Eva exclaimed, slapping her hand down on Jordan's tall shoulder, “Wanna grab some lunch before my class, partner? We have more catching up to do.” Admittedly, Eva didn’t want to part from Jordan _just_ yet. She still felt like it had been so long, too long, & she wanted to indulge in this familiar feeling between them for a bit longer.

Jordan nodded back & gave her a thumbs up, “Of course, partner. Wanna grab some burgers?” Something twinkled in Eva’s eyes at his suggestion, “Ohhh yeah, you read my mind! Been to the Scotty’s on campus yet? Their burgers are great! They have these loaded chips, too! They’re home made & covered with cheese sauce, bacon, jalapenos, onions, all that good stuff. Dude, oh my god, they’re mind blowing.” Eva spread her fingers from the sides of her head, accompanied by a _'Bwoosh!' s_ ound effect to really drive home just how delicious these chips are. Jordan let out a wistful sigh, already drooling a little, “You had me at bacon. Let’s go!” Eva smirked & tapped the space below her lips with her finger, “Ya got a little something there, bud. Anyways, let me change, & we can head out!”

Eva strode out of her bedroom a few minutes later, changed into casual clothes perfect for burger dining. Some skinny jeans with faux tears along the front, a snug red tshirt, & a baggy teal hoodie, nothing extravagant or even intentionally pretty. Jordan’s breath hitched, though, watching her flip her long hair out from her hoodie, arms raised while her long legs folded over each other with each step. He couldn’t help but be momentarily mesmerized by her. Eva didn't look insanely different from her teen years on Oban, aside from the longer hair & a more adult body. But she definitely had a more alluring, mature look to her, with a hint of fun rebellion still evident in her dyed hair & spiked earrings.

She blinked, noticing the pink in his cheeks, “Uh, you good, Jordan?” “O-Oh, yeah, just hungry! Burger time!” Jordan blurted out, swiftly turning to the door to slip his shoes on. Eva just shrugged his slightly odd behavior off & slipped her shoes on as well. They both left through the front door, leaving an empty apartment that was still scattered with the blanket & pillow remains of their rekindling night. The evidence was mostly contained in the living room, with the mattress still squeezed in front of the couch, blankets tossed aside, & barely visible indentations in the mattress of the two bodies that had slept there that night.

To many, it would look like a mess, but it was really relief. Last night had been a haven, for both of them, though they would never put such a heavy term on it. Regardless of what you called it, there was no denying that the tear stains on the blankets, Jordan’s lingering scent, & his forgotten beanie were going to be small reminders to Eva of what had transpired, keeping the memories fresh. Hopefully, the feeling of comfortable familiarity would remain long after the stains were washed, the living room was cleaned into its natural state, & Jordan’s beanie was returned to him.

For now though, with multiple misty breaths escaping into the January air as they walked, they were content. The most comfortable place in the entire universe was the company of each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK this chapter was a lil short & boring, I know, but it was needed to get all the characters set in place & what not. Now I can get started on some simple slice-of-lifey fun chapters!  
> Shoutouts to you if you've eaten at Scotty's, which is a real place btw. Those loaded chips are the bomb.


	5. Sick Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With midterms coming up in a blisteringly cold winter, an overworked Eva has become very ill. Thankfully, Jordan is here to help her recover.

A throbbing, pounding headache tortured Eva as she moaned out in pain, tossing & turning in her bed. She shifted around in her comforter, feeling both her body flare up & chills run along her sides. Jordan watched her as she struggled pathetically, standing at her bedside. He sighed & crossed his arms, face full of worry but lacking surprise, “You've been pushing yourself too hard, Molly. I know you've been stressed about midterms, but overworking yourself in the middle of a freezing winter isn't gonna help...obviously.”

Peering at him from her blanket cocoon, face flushed & exhausted, she responded with a raspy voice, “Wow, I didn't know you became my new mom. I thought that was Rick.” Jordan blinked, caught off guard, before letting out a deep chuckle, “Even when you're dying from one of the nastiest colds I've seen, you're still a smart ass. At least now I know you aren't dying.” He reached down & ruffled her hair a bit, before brushing her stuck bangs from her forehead. “Hold on, I'll go grab a washcloth. You are drenched in sweat, Mols.” She closed her eyes slowly & nodded, hearing his footsteps exit her bedroom.

After coming over regularly to Eva's apartment for over a month, Jordan was fairly familiar with the whole place. He swiped a few wash cloths from Eva's bathroom cabinet, & turned on the faucet to a cool temperature. Soaking one cloth with water before rinsing it out, leaving it a bit damp, he turned right back in the direction of Eva's room. Returning to her bedside, he wiped the coat of sweat from her face with the dry cloth.

Even though he was extremely gentle, Eva let out small groans of discomfort. “Ok, I genuinely don't know if you're being over dramatic or if you’re extra achy, too,” Jordan questioned, lifting the now sweaty cloth from her face. Despite her smiling slightly from his little joke, her expression told him she really was in a lot of pain. That only made him worry that this illness could be something worse than a cold. Carefully, he rested the back of his hand against her forehead & flinched, her skin basically boiling. “Shit Mols, this is bad...I understand now why you didn't answer the door when I knocked. You’re a mess…”

Her eyes rolled & quipped back, “Gee, thanks a lot, it's always nice to hear how much of a wreck you are...ugh.” She flipped over to her side, away from Jordan, & curled up into a ball, trying to escape a bout of aches & pains. _"Good job, Jordan, you're just saying all the right things, aren't ya?",_  he thought, a bit frustrated with himself. Though he could be gentle with his hands, but he was still a bit dense when it came to being gentle with his words.

Leaning over her curled form, he slipped the damp cloth onto her forehead, & she blinked ever so slightly at the sudden coolness. The wet cloth felt immensely refreshing. “Sorry...Look, sit tight, I'll go grab you some meds & soup, ok? Nurse Jordan is gonna make you _alllll_ better, Molly!” He enthusiastically flexed his right arm, slapping his left hand on his bicep as he flashed his trademark goofy smile. Eva just nodded her head, having no energy to turn back around to see him off. He understood completely & quickly made his way out of the door, making sure to close it tightly behind him to keep her apartment free from any possible drafts.

 

* * *

 

Even though it was nearing the end of February, winter was still going strong. Stronger than it had at the beginning of the semester, as a thick layer of snow blanketed the ground. With weather like this & temperatures in the low twenties, it was no wonder an overworked college student would catch a nasty cold, or worse.

Jordan quickly hopped down her apartment stairwell & left to make his way to the closest drug store, hoping that he had enough loose bills in his pocket to cover the expenses of some soup & medicine.

After a bit of a walk, Jordan made it to a small store about 10 minutes later & headed straight for the medicine. “Let's see...uhh...Chills, head pain, aches...nausea, maybe? I guess it wouldn't hurt...Ok, this should do,” he mumbled to himself, picking a small box of cold medicine off the shelf. Extra strength, just in case. Then he moved over to the small food aisles, scanning for some soup, something easy on the stomach.

He snatched a can & made his way to the register, where the small old woman running the store flashed him a smile, “Ready to ring up, young man?” He nodded, placing the two items in front of her. The woman scanned the soup first, slipping it in a paper sack she had placed on the counter. She flipped the small box of medicine around, reading the brand name before commenting, “Extra strength, huh? You don't look that sick, my boy.” Jordan waved his hands in front of him, shaking his head, “O-Oh, uh, it's not for me. My friend is really sick. She's been a bit careless with her health lately. College, ya know?” 

The woman responded with a warm smile, before putting the medicine in the sack, “I see, well, you're quite the peach for picking this up for her. Your total is 12.34$.” Jordan pulled some crumpled bills & loose change from his old coat pocket, laying it on the counter to count it out before handing it to the woman.

His heart dropped a little has he found he need 5 cents more to fully pay for the goods. “Shit,” he cursed to himself quietly.

A bead of sweat rolled down his temple as he turned to the woman, "I'm, uh, a little short...hold on.” He dug his hands deeper into his coat pockets, fingers searching for any possible additional change to put towards the total. When his coat bore no fruit, he fished his hands into his jean pockets. No luck there either. 

Sighing, he looked up at the old woman, who was still patiently waiting for him with a gentle smile. “S-Sorry, I couldn't find any more change...I can put the soup ba-” “No need,” she stopped him, popping open the drawer of the register, “A few cents doesn't mean much to this old gal in comparison to a young lady's health. ‘Specially with midterms coming up, right? I got a lot of students coming in lately for energy drinks, so I know what that means! Haha!” She began to scoop the bills & change he had placed on the counter into her hands, putting the payment through before he could say anything.

Stunned by her kindness, he blinked in surprise when she pushed the paper bag at him. “Your friend is gonna need to get better as soon as she can, so you better get a move on, young man!” The woman motioned him towards the door, & he grinned back at her before taking the bad into his hands, “Y-Yeah! Thank you so much, ma'am!” Jordan quickly vanished from the store, the old woman waving him out as he left. Such a small but important act of kindness made a warmth bloom in Jordan's chest, keeping him optimistic on the jog back to Eva's apartment.

 

* * *

 

Sneeze after sneeze greeted him when he stepped back into Eva's apartment. And loud ones, too, that could be heard all the way from Eva's closed room. He quickly slipped his shoes off & set the soup on the counter before yelling, “I'm back, Molly! Hold on a sec, I'll bring you tissues & the meds!” Grabbing a cup from her kitchen, he filled it with some water & searched for the tissue box, but couldn't find it at the moment.

Deciding to skip them for now, he pushed her bedroom door open & saw she already had the box of tissues with her. There was also a new mess of used ones scattered around her bed & floor. “You've been completely missing the trashcan, Molly...nasty.” 

Groaning in response, she gathered a few of the balled up tissues & attempted to toss them into a small trash can in the corner. All but 1 tissue missed.

Jordan snickered & walked over to her bedside, kneeling down to her level to hand her the water & a small packet of pills, “Here, these should help.” She sat up & nodded, chugging the water & pills before handing the cup back to him. “Thank you…” she managed to get out, followed by a small coughing fit, to which Jordan just gently rubbed her back as she rode it out. More groaning followed her coughing, & she sunk back into her bed. Eva truly felt absolutely awful, & she was even starting to feel some regret for letting it get this bad.

The Avatar grabbed the small wash cloth he had originally left with her & went to the bathroom again to dampen it again. After he returned & placed the refreshed cloth on her forehead, he picked up her little trash can & began cleaning up the used tissues, “Ugh, so gross, I need a hazmat suit! I'm gonna get infected by your nastiness, Mols.” Eva smiled & giggling roughly, “Don't try to make me laugh, it hurts.” He just grinned & tossed the last few tissues into the bin, then placed it right next to her bed. “Sorry about that. Well, I'm gonna wash up from my snot cleaning mission, then I'll get that soup on the stove. Don't miss the trash next time, ok?” She nodded up at him, “I don’t have your aiming skills, but I'll try...and thank you, Jordan…” Gazing kindly at her, he gripped the knob on her door, “Of course, no problem. What are friends for?”

The bolt of the door clicked as Jordan closed it behind him, & Eva just sunk further into her bed.

Though she desperately wanted to take a small nap while Jordan was in the kitchen, she couldn't manage to fall asleep. Her head was in too much pain from the symphony of sneezes. All she could do was sigh, close her eyes, & wait for the meds to kick in to help relieve her of some pain. Unfortunately, her consciousness kept her busy with negative thoughts.

_"Damn it Molly, you really got this sick right before midterms, & now you've dragged Jordan into it too? Now you're gonna bomb your exams & be the reason for Jordan's grades to drop. How could you have let it get this bad?"_  Her internal monologue just continued to get more & more depressing, but her current state of health made it hard for her to get upset about it. Every word in her mind was stated in more of a ‘matter of fact' way instead of a self loathing way.

Eva genuinely did feel bad keeping Jordan busy tending to her, though. She should be able to take care of herself, otherwise what would she do if Jordan wasn't there & she got sick again, or something else? It was absurd to think it would be a good idea to depend on him. Aside from his own studies, he was still the Avatar. If he had to leave for his duties, Eva had no one to depend on besides herself, alone in this small apartment in a college city hours away from her home.

So, she preemptively refused to let herself get comfortable with his help. As soon as she could leave her bed without feeling like death, she would ask him to leave so he could focus on himself instead.

Jordan returned a short while later, pushing her door open with his hip. He held a steaming bowl of soup in one hand, & a fresh cup of water in the other. “Hope you like chicken noodle,” he asked, kneeling next to her bed. Expecting her to start sitting up, he jumped when she just flung one arm out & moaned out in a distinctively fake pain, “Feed me Jordan, for I am far too weak to move…” Eva opened her mouth without waiting for a response, trying to contain her own giggles caused by her awful acting.

The boy's eyebrows shot up, & a blush spread across his face, “Uh, M-Molly, are you for real…?” A few painful laughs escaped her before she shifted onto her elbows to slowly get up, “Nah, of course not, I was just mess'n with you. Laughing hurt a little, but the look on your face was worth it.” Eva finally managed to sit up & brought her legs to her chest, taking the soup from her friend & placing it between her knees. Jordan was still a bit flustered, so he just looked away & set the cup of water on her nightstand.

“How cruel of you to play with my soft, kind heart like that, Eva Wei.” She stuck her tongue out at him, picking up a spoon full of broth from the bowl, “Hearing my full name from you sounds like I'm in trouble. I don’t like it.” He smirked & crossed his arms, “Well, maybe you are! You let yourself get this stupid sick, & now you're grounded.” Eva slurped her soup, side-eyeing the Avatar, “Mom Jordan strikes again.” Jordan chuckled & winked at her playfully, “Sure did. And after your soup, you're gonna take a nap, ok missy?”

She couldn't help but sigh & smile from his dumb but cheerful attitude about it all. His optimism was quite infectious, even when she was bedridden. 

Finishing the last of the soup, she handed the dirty dishes back to Jordan, “Alright alright, but you godda leave. Thanks again for everything Jordan, I'll try to make it up to you, ok?” He took the bowl & cup from Eva & shook his head as he stood, “Don’t worry about it Molly, really, it's no problem. Get some rest, alright?”

Snuggling back into her covers, she nodded & closed her eyes. The medicine was finally kicking in, & the drowsiness was urging her to sleep. Jordan gazed at her sleeping face for a few minutes, secretly taking in one of the most beautiful things he thought Earth had to offer. Seeing her peaceful, sleeping face free of pain was quite the reward after all his hard work today.

Eva would totally murder him if he said that out loud. Then, as he was told, he left her bedroom.

 

* * *

 

Eva awoke a few hours later, still feeling ill, but considerably better than earlier. The call of nature drew her from sleep, & she slipped her legs out onto the edge of her bed. Getting up with little issue, she was pleased that she seemed to be quickly improving. After her bathroom trip, she was headed back to bed until she heard some clinking sounds coming from her kitchen. _"What the hell is that? Jordan should have left..."_

She peered around her hallway & saw him standing by her sink, a stack of shiny clean dishes on the drying rack next to him. Walking closer, she could see his arms deep in soapy water, sponge in hand as he scrubbed at week-old caked on food on various plates & silverware.

“Uh, Jordan? What are you doing? And why are you still here?” she questioned. His head whipped around & he grinned at her, “Oh, hey Molly, didn’t hear you get up. Feeling any better?” She slowly nodded her head as her eyes looked around her more pristine than usual looking kitchen, noticing the smell of bleach & cleaners that barely penetrated her congested nose, “Uh, yeah...Have you been...cleaning?” Jordan nodded & placed a freshly cleaned plate in the rack, dripping hands reaching for a towel, “Yeah, you've let the place, uh...kinda go to shit while you were study-crazy? Only a little bit, though! I decided to tidy up a bit while you slept, so you had one less thing to worry about.”

Her eyebrows creased as she looked up at him, & he gave her a look of surprise. Originally, he expected her to be thankful & relieved, but now, she mostly seemed annoyed & slightly confused. “I told you to leave, though. You didn’t have to do any of this...you should be in the library, studying, or back at the shelter resting, or-”

“Eva,” Jordan interrupted, turning around fully & gripping her shoulders with a incredibly light but firm touch. She went quiet instantly, knowing he was about to be serious if he was going to use her real name like this. Joking with it was one thing, but his tone made it clear he wasn't, “It’s ok. I wanted to help out. You're tired, you're stressed, & you're still sick. Let me do a few things for you, ok?” 

She stared at him, mouth slightly agape, “B-But...You have midterms too, you need to study...I can take care of myself.” A serious expression formed on Jordan's face, his eyebrows lowering as he frowned, “I know, & I have plenty of time to study. And I know you can take care of yourself, I'm not here to baby you. But you have a lot on your plate, Eva, let me help. I don’t enjoy seeing you like this, you know? Stressed out of your mind & physically exhausting yourself until you're ill. You're being stupidly stubborn,  & you don’t have to do all of this alone.”

Once again, his words were less than gentle, but that was what she needed at the moment. If he needed to be harsh to break through her thick shell, even a little bit, he would do it. She looked away from him & hugged her arms, processing his words. Her invisible walls were chipped.

“Ah...I'm sorry...Just, I’m so use to it, you know…?” Of course he knew, but that's why he wanted to make it clear he was here to help & support her. She did understand now, really, but it was a foreign feeling to her. When it came to her father or Rick helping out, which she always thought was done more of familial obligation, it was fine to her. But this: it was different.

They stood in the kitchen for a few silent moments before Eva whispered, “Well...thank you, then, Jordan...I really do appreciate it…” He let out a sigh & smiled, lifting a hand up to ruffle her hair before moving the back of his hand down to her forehead. “You're very welcome, Molly. Your temperature feels slightly better, but you should still get back to bed, ok?”

Her cheeks grew warm, but it was unclear if it was Eva's illness or something more. Simply nodding, she turned back in the direction of her room. Jordan's hand slipped from her forehead & brushed through the edge of hair unintentionally as she moved, resisting the minor urge to reach back out & run his fingers through her locks as she moved away. It was an accident, unintentional, & uninvited, after all.

“I'll come wake you in a few hours for your next round of pills, if you aren’t awake, ok? Then we're gonna have a study session!” Eva turned back around with a raised eyebrow, “Study session? Like, in my bedroom?” “Yeah? Where else?” he questioned, placing a hand on his hip. “Even if you're sick, I know you're still gonna try to study yourself into an early grave, so we're gonna study together. Dream of physics or whatever so we can tackle Electromagnetic Theory when you wake up!” 

She giggled a bit, but was interrupted by a small sneeze. Sighing from the reminder of her lingering illness, she just smiled & turned back around, waving her hand in the air as she walked to her room, “You got it, partner. Don’t wear yourself out messing with my apartment, or I'll be the one nursing you back to health.”

“I'm the Avatar, remember? I don’t get sick, thanks to that sweet sorta-immortality!” Jordan just laughed to himself before hearing the click of her bedroom door & turned back to the sink. He never did like doing chores, but he didn’t mind if it was for Eva, not at all. There were very few things in the entire universe he wouldn’t do for her.

_"It would be nice if she had a dishwasher, though,"_ he thought as he scrubbed away at a fork.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who doesnt enjoy a lil sickfic, huh? Damn it Eva, don't overwork yourself like this you dingus. >:C At least she has Jordan. Need me a man who's willing to touch my dirty tissues without bitching too much.


	6. Home Cook'n

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jordan is tired of Eva eating college-tier cheapo meals & makes her dinner.

“Take out, take out, instant meal, instant meal... _waaaaay_ overdue to be thrown away take out! Don't you have anything fresh, Mols?” Jordan called, voice muffled from the open refrigerator door.

In the living room, Eva continued chewing on her pen as she tapped the edge of her laptop with her fingers. Multiple homework tabs were open on the screen to keep her eyes busy while spoke, “Nah, but there's some ramen in the cupboard too, that's fine. I'm really good with whatever.” She couldn't see him from her place on the couch, but Jordan was frowning. Hard. “None of those things are dinner, Molly.”

“They're literally meals, Jordan, just frozen or freeze dried. Therefore, you're wrong,” she rebutted in an annoyed tone. “I'm huuuuungry, just heat something up!” she yelled, waving a hand at him from the top of the couch to dismissing his words. He stepped over to the back of the couch & draped himself over the edge, making sure Eva would see his annoyed & frustrated expression. “They're meals, ok, but they're not _healthy_ meals. With all this sodium, I'm surprised you haven't had a heart attack. You godda stop eating like this, Molly.”

Eva huffed at him, crossing her arms, “I'm fine! I buy fruit & stuff too. I ate my last apple yesterday, in fact.”

“How many did you originally buy?” he asked flatly.

“Umm...2…but I bought a mango too, & I ate that...” she answered quietly, avoiding his eyes.

He just responded with a silent squint. After a few moments of enduring Jordan's quiet judgment, she yelped out, “What?! I don't cook, ok, I don't have time! What do you want from me?!” Slowly, a smirk formed on the Avatar's face, “I think you don't know _how_ to cook.”

Her fingers tapped in a rhythm across the edge of her laptop, her mind racing to think of an excuse. None came, however, “No...I guess not...But it’s fine, I still get my 3 meals a day. Even if it's take out or frozen, who cares?” “Um-” Jordan started, placing his hand on his chest, “-I care? Your dad & Rick probably care?”

She couldn't deny that. Her dad even got her an entirely new set of pots, pans, baking dishes, & other utensils when she moved in. Though, she hadn't touched them at all unless they were being used to heat up leftovers that would otherwise get soggy in the microwave.

“Well then, if you care so much, cook me something, Mr. Master Chef!” she challenged. Jordan's expression shifted, as if a light bulb had lit up in his head. Then, he silently walked back over to her kitchen & took a quick look in & around the cupboards to see what utensils he had to work with. Eva had already gone back to checking her homework, stomach still rumbling. Now she was both hungry & irritated.

After 10 minutes of noise as Jordan rummaged in her kitchen, he came back out with grin on his face, “Tell ya what! It's too late to get groceries, but I'll come over tomorrow & cook ya up my mom's specialty. Sound like a plan?” Eva's eyebrows raised in surprise, as she didn't actually think he would accept this loosely given challenge.

“Wait, can you actually cook? Decently? ‘Cuz I wouldn't be opposed to it...unless it'll kill me.” “Yes, I can, & no, it wont. In fact, I bet it'll be the best thing you've had in a while! Nothing like some home cooking, after all,” Jordan said, giving her an optimistic thumbs up. Admittedly, she was kind of excited about this. It had been a really long time since she had something that wasn't cheap carry out or microwaved. She returned his thumbs up with her own,“Deal, then! I'll even give you money for the ingredients, but what are you gonna make?” An index finger came to Jordan's lips & he winked, “It'll be a surprise. Also, I'll gladly let you cover the grocery bill, as I’m completely broke.”

 

* * *

 

 

Hefty grocery bags were gripped in his fists as Jordan entered Eva's apartment the next evening. After taking his shoes off, he walked over to place the bags on the counter.

“Got an apron somewhere?” he asked, pulling out some utensils in preparation. “Do I look like I own an apron, Jordan?” she replied in a slightly mocking tone, taking note of what tools he was gathering: a cutting board, knife, casserole dish, & a wooden spoon. This knowledge...did not help her figure out what he was making. Knowing the ingredients would help, but they were still hidden away in opaque plastic bags.

Jordan just sighed at her original response, “Yeah that's what I figured. Fine, but if I make a mess, I get to use your laundry machine. Now, please leave my kitchen! You’re too much of a distraction, & you'll ruin the surprise.” He started pushing her out of the kitchen & in the direction of the couch, bringing giggles from Eva, “Wait, _your_ kitchen? You don't live here, dork! But fine, I'll go wait. I have some homework anyways.” She flopped onto the couch & got comfortable, flipping her laptop open so she could get cracking on school work while Jordan got cracking on cooking.

Instead of researching for her papers or answering class modules, Eva surfed through pointless social media sites & watched YouTube videos. She couldn't focus while a myriad of sounds & smells came from her kitchen. Any time she attempted to sneak a glance from her couch to catch a glimpse of what Jordan was doing, he would instantly glare back at her, a silent message for her to keep her eyes out of the kitchen.

She stopped trying to peek after the first few tries.

Her oven beeped, & a loud pop sound followed after. _“What on Earth is he doing…?”_  She was so curious & excited, but tried to keep herself busy with yet another recap video of the latest Star Racing season.

Jordan slipped the dish into the oven & came over to the couch, throwing himself onto the empty half, “Phew! Ok, now a little time in the oven & we can eat. You excited about it?” Closing her laptop, Eva nodded with a spark of childlike anticipation in her eyes, “Yeah, I hope its good! All the smells are making me really hungry too…” The boy draped an arm over the couch & grinned, “Yeah, that's a plus to cooking from home. I do really hope you like it though, since it's my mom's recipe. We made it a lot for Sunday dinners, since my siblings & dad really like it too.”

Eva sat up, placing her laptop off to the side, “You've never talked about your family a whole lot, actually, mostly just your grandpa in the war. Did your mom teach you how to cook?” Jordan nodded, “Yeah, she did. I'm the oldest of 3, with my younger brother being 4 years younger, & my sister being 6 years younger. I helped mom out around the house when my siblings were little, so she taught me some things. She was a great cook, & I would help her out in the kitchen a lot.” 

She smiled as he recalled his childhood, happy that he felt comfortable opening up about his family life. He had been a bit reluctant to speak on the subject of his family, not due to any negativity in it, but because it was very unclear right now if he could ever be involved in their lives again. Eva was sure he missed them greatly.

“Mom would always bring huge amounts of food to church potlucks too, since she didn't want anyone to go home hungry. When my brother was too little & my sister wasn't around yet, I was the only one who could help her make it all. I complained at the start, & she always teased me saying, _‘Oh you'll thank me in the future! A wife loves a husband who can cook!’_ ,” he chuckled, a little bit of blush coming to his cheeks. “But I came to enjoy it a lot, actually. It felt rewarding to have my family & family friends praise me for my hard work, I guess. Sounds kinda selfish, when I put it like that, though...”

“I don't think that's selfish, I just think you really enjoyed being able to give to your family,” Eva responded, hugging her legs to her chest as she looked up at him. “And it sounds like you enjoyed that time with your mother too. It's cute, really! Mother-son bonding over cooking, hehe~” she said in a wistful tone, making Jordan blush even harder. He scratched his cheek, his stubble making faint rough sounds, “Y-Yeah, I guess so. Did you ever get to do any cooking with your mom, like, when you were really little?”

Jordan did remember that Maya had passed early in Eva’s childhood, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask about the times they did have together, right?

A soft, bittersweet expression fell on Eva's face. She loved talking & thinking about her mother, but she still missed her every day. “Hmm, well like you said, I was really little...Dad actually did more of the cooking in the family, mom wasn't too good at it.” Jordan smirked, “Like mother like daughter, eh?” Eva threw a soft punch at his side with a fake expression of anger on her face, “Hey, I said I _can't_ cook, not that I'm bad at it! There's a difference. Anyways…” she trailed off, scanning through her memories before continuing.

“Mom was really good at making one thing: chocolate chip cookies. Making them was sort of a bonding thing, since even a 5 year old can stir a spoon. Mom would always put in extra chocolate chips too, compared to what the recipe said. She liked them really chocolatey, even though dad would complain about how much sugar it was. But he'd let us get away with it anyways, & always say that this batch was better than the last. It was...really nice.”

Eva's smiled warmly as she remembered these pleasant times. They were extremely mundane, ordinary moments in her life in the grand scheme of things, but they were also some of her most treasured. Jordan could tell from how Eva spoke about Maya, that she meant a whole lot to her. Of course she did, she was her mother, but she was an amazing & irreplaceable person in Eva's life. Though it was far too late for regrets, he was a bit sad that he could never meet her.

He was about to ask her more, so Eva could continue happily reminiscing about her mother, but the oven timer suddenly went off with a loud _“Beep!”_ He rose from the couch & dashed over to the oven, slipping oven mitts over his hands, “Its ready, Molly! I'll plate it up & bring it over, so grab some drinks.”

Eva’s emotions flipped to ones of anticipation, nostrils taking in the scent of the freshly made dish, “It smells awesome, Jordan! Hope you like soda, 'cuz that’s all I got.” She tried to peek over at him as he stood in front of the oven, but couldn't manage to get a look at the dish with his huge body in the way. Opening the fridge, she pulled a few bottles of soda out & brought them over to the couch, Jordan coming shortly after with two steaming plates.

On them were heaping servings of golden brown chicken & biscuits, with plenty of vegetables swimming in creamy gravy. “Whoa…” Eva gasped while Jordan sat down, handing one of the plates to her with a big grin, “Here you go, a Wilde family specialty: Chicken & biscuits! Careful though, it's stil-Molly!” Right as he was warning her, Eva was shoving a piping hot spoonful into her mouth.

Her eyes immediately watered as she flapped her mouth open in a pathetic attempt to cool it down, “H-ha-hot!!” She snatched her soda from its place on the coffee table & took a swig to cool her mouth, sighing in relief as she barely avoided a burnt tongue. “Yeah, hot, it's still hot. Blow on it, dork!” Jordan playfully scolded, picking up a spoonful of the food himself.

“Pft, sorry I was too excited to try your super special home cooking, Jordan.” she teased, gathering up another spoonful. Almost in unison, they both blew on their spoons before taking a bite. Jordan hummed pleasantly while Eva let out a closed mouth scream of joy. The Avatar tried not to laugh from her priceless reaction, fearing he may choke on his food if he did.

He swallowed before speaking, “Well, judging by that, I'll take that as a five-star rating!” Eva's eyes sparkled as she immediately went back in for another spoonful, “Its delicious, Jordan! I had no idea you could make stuff like this, it's so good!” The food was really good, Jordan agreed, but Eva's satisfaction was the real treat for him, “Heh, I tried my best! Honestly, it's not as good as my mom's, I'd say. I used pre-made biscuits & canned cream soup, but my mom makes it 100% from scratch.”

Eva was half listening to him, mostly engrossed in stuffing herself. She only responded in hums before she finished her plate, long before Jordan was even half finished with his. He had no idea where she was putting it all, but it was just a solid testament to how much she enjoyed it. “There’s uh, more on the stove if you want seconds?” “Oh, hell yeah I do!” Eva said, quickly hopping off the couch to refill her plate. She returned with her second serving, & they finished their meals with little small talk about Jordan's special touches as the chef. It mostly consisted of using additional black pepper & a few other spices.

* * *

Their empty, cold plates sat on the coffee table as Eva groaned, leaning against Jordan's shoulder with her hand on her stomach. “That was soooooo good, but I'm stuffed. I'm going into a food coma,” she moaned happily, & Jordan just chuckled at her.

“Yeah, southern food will do that to ya. Get off of me, though, so I can go wrap up the leftovers.” Eva shifted her body to lean against the arm of the couch, & she called after him, “I thought you said leftovers were bad, Jordan?” The sound of crinkling plastic filled his ears as he covered the casserole dish with plastic wrap, “Yeah, _take out_ leftovers are bad. Homemade leftovers are good, though. Now you have lunch for tomorrow!” After sealing the plastic edges, he shoved some things out of the way to make room in her refrigerator for the dish.

Walking over to the back of the couch again, he folded his arms on the top as he looked down at her, “You can warm it back up in the microwave, but it'll be better if you do it in the oven, ok?” She just nodded, her eyes closed in her state of post-meal bliss, “Gotcha. Can you cook for me again sometime? I dunno if I can go back to a life of instant ramen & frozen meals after that. You've ruined me, Jordan!”

He rolled his eyes, “You act like you haven’t had a real meal in months, Molly, jeez! But sure, I'll cook for you anytime, as long as you buy the ingredients. Sound like a plan?” She gave him a thumbs up, “Absolutely, you got it, partner. Are you...much of a baker?” she then asked, slowly opening her eyes to look up at his face. “Uh, yeah, I guess so. Had something in mind?”

“Yeah,” she said, “Cookies. With as many chocolate chips in them as I want.”

Jordan smiled warmly down at her, resting his chin on his arms, “Of course, partner. As many as you want.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cute lil sweet chapter, & mom talk! ;A; Maya is auto best mom since she loves overly chocolate ship cookies. Don should be blessed Eva didnt get cavities.


	7. Hide the Avatar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don & Rick unknowingly play hide & seek with Eva & Jordan.

The living room floor was littered with open textbooks, papers, tools, & a small tarp with an engine placed upon it. Eva hovered over the machinery, dripping with sweat as she toiled away at fixing it up. Jordan sat across from her on the floor, eyes darting back & forth from an open textbook to a small notebook, scribbling down important information with his pencil.

They had been like this for quite a while, silently working on their own projects as they did most weekends. Finals were nearing, & they both were making sure they had a solid grasp on their course materials.

Currently, Jordan was making notes for a paper, & Eva was repairing an engine for her Advance Engine Mechanics class. It was basically scrap metal when she first got a hold of it, but her efforts were paying off as it was almost fully repaired. The only things she needed to do now was install the spark plug, get the pistons adjusted, & fill the small gas tank attached to the side.

Eva popped the tank open & grabbed the small bottle of gasoline, screwing the cap off. Immediately, the intense & unpleasant odor filled her living room, & Jordan made a loud hacking sound in displeasure. “Oh come on, it's not that bad!” Eva mocked, carefully positioning herself to pour the gas into the tank.

At that very moment, a loud rapping came from her front door. Eva jumped in surprise & her hands released from the bottle, causing the gasoline to spill onto her shirt.

“Ugh! Aw noooo, my shirt…” she whined, picking the dripping gasoline bottle up off the floor & screwing the lid back on. Jordan had already stood up, nose plugged with his fingers due to the smell, “Oh shit, want me to grab some paper towels while you check the door?”

“God, yes please, thank you Jordan…” Eva replied, carefully picking herself up to make sure her shirt didn't drip gasoline onto the carpet. She made her way to the door & leaned up to the peep hole while Jordan jogged to the kitchen, grabbing a fresh roll of paper towels from under the sink.

Eva's face grew flushed & she stepped back from the door slowly. She asked Jordan in a soft voice, “Hey...what day is it…?” He wasn't entirely sure he heard her, but he answered anyways, “Uh...Day of the week? Its Saturday.”

It was, indeed, Saturday.

Another series of loud knocks came from the door, making Eva flinch while Jordan looked curiously at the door. “So? Who is it…?” he asked, ripping some paper towels off the roll to lay on top of the mess of gasoline.

“Hey little mouse, ya home?” came from the other side of the door, the voice muffled but deep. Jordan could have sworn he recognized the voice, but Eva ran over & yanked him from the floor by his shirt collar before he could think further.

“Molly, what the fu-!” “Shhhh!!!” she immediately silenced him, slapping a hand over his mouth as she began frantically pulling him in the direction of her bedroom. “Its my dad & Rick! I totally forgot they were visiting this weekend, ugh!"

They made it to her room & she immediately slid open her closet door, shoving things around to make space.

“Oh shit, so that _was_ Rick! It's been so long since I've seen him, or Don!”

“Yes,” Eva groaned, one arm pushing her things to the side while the other had a death grip on Jordan’s arm, “and it'll be a while longer. They don't know you're here! Or even on Earth at all!”

The boy’s eyebrows creased together, “W-Why not tell th-wait, what are you doing?!” Jordan was so overcome with confusion, not understanding why Eva wouldn't tell Don & Rick about him, & also why she was now shoving him into her cramped closet. He grunted as clothes hangers whacked him in the face.

“Because! You're still The Avatar! How do I explain why you're here?! And what if they have to tell the government?! It'll be such a mess Jordan, they can’t know you're here. Just-Just keep quiet!” Jordan could understand her concerns, but did he really have to hide in her already small & packed closet?

Before he could argue a point, he turned back to Eva & yelped, almost falling to the floor in panic. Eva was starting to slip her soiled shirt off, already pulling it past her stomach, “E-Eva, what the hell?!” Jordan screamed, his hands shooting up to cover his eyes & burning face.

“Oh shut up, Jordan, I'm still wearing a sports bra, nothing you haven't seen before. I need a new shirt, this one is ruined, grab me one!” He blindly felt around her hangers & yanked down what felt like a normal t-shirt, handing it in her general direction. Slamming the gasoline-soaked shirt into the hamper next to Jordan, Eva snatched the clean one from his hands.

She pulled it over herself in mere seconds, then gave Jordan a dead serious expression, her eyes locked on his, “Ok, just stay here & don't make one. Single. Peep. Got it?”

Bright red face still sweating & flustered, Jordan simply nodded in confirmation. He tried to settle his large, bulky body into the cramped space after Eva closed the closet, mouth shut tightly like she asked. He was not excited to be squished into this confined space with a hamper filled with the stench of dirty laundry & gasoline, but he wasn’t about to disobey Eva & incur her anger.

Another series of knocks came faintly from the front of her apartment, & she bolted to the front door.

 

* * *

 

She swung the door open, accompanied by the loud squeak of the worn hinges to reveal Rick, leaning on his right leg & hands nonchalantly on his hips. Don was standing next to him with his fist raised, preparing to knock once again, “Oh, Eva, you are home! We were beginning to think you were out.”

Panting slightly & exasperated from this sudden whirlwind of events, Eva gathered some form of fake composure & smiled with a small wave, “A-Ah, yeah! Sorry, I was doing some homework, was very, uh, in the zone!”

Rick raised one eyebrow as his eyes scanned over Eva's current appearance from behind his dark sunglasses: Sweating, still catching her breath, hair a frayed mess, eyes darting around without focus, & mind clearly fretting over something else? Yeah, _sure_ , that could be due to homework.

Smirking, Rick simply replied, “Must be some homework. Hey, we got a surprise for ya too.” It was Eva's turn to raise an eyebrow in curiosity. Rick stepped out of the way, & behind him was Eva's beloved old rocket seat, leaning against the wall of her apartment building hallway. Her eyes lit up immediately, & she clasped her hands together in joy, “You guys brought it! Yes, no more bus for me! Thank you both so much.”

Don smiled while Rick picked the vehicle up with ease, slinging it over his shoulder. “It hasn't been turned on in a while, I think it might need a new battery. We couldn't get it to run,” Don said as he stepped inside Eva's apartment, but he immediately recoiled at the smell of gasoline. Rick’s face scrunched up as well when he followed in after Don, but less dramatically.

“I hope you're being careful with your homework, Eva. It reeks of gas in here, & that makes me quite nervous if I'm being honest,” Don looked over to the tarp in the living room, seeing that the puddle of gasoline around the engine was the source of the odor. Eva hopped over to the mess & picked the dropped roll of paper towels up, “Don't worry dad, it was just an accident. I'm usually careful as can be.”

He sighed, followed by a few coughs from the overwhelming stench. But the apartment hadn't blown up or caught on fire yet, so he believed her for now. “Well, since your living room is pretty packed at the moment, I'll bring your old ride to your bedroom.”

Rick was already right in front of her bedroom door, hand on the knob when Eva's head shot up, “W-Wait, Rick!” Both Rick & Don turned to her, & she stammered a bit as she tried to think of a quickfire excuse, “U-Uh, um, my-my room is a mess! If-If you think this is bad, you don't wanna go in there, haha! Y-you can set it in here!”

Another sigh escaped her father & came over to join her on the tarp, grabbing some paper towels himself to help with the mess, “Really Eva, you should be taking better care of your apartment now that you're an adult.” A few other nags of the parental sort came from him while he stayed with Eva to clean up her mess. At least she had fooled Don.

Rick, however, chuckled & turned the knob anyway, “I doubt it could be any worse of a disaster than your room was back at the house. Ain't gonna bother me kid, I'll just set her in here real qu-”

A stifled cough came from inside Eva's bedroom. Rick & Don’s eyes shot in the direction of the slightly ajar door, & Eva's heart dropped into her stomach.

 

* * *

 

Jordan had been trying his best to keep calm & quiet in Eva's closet, but the fumes from the gasoline soaked shirt were too much to bear silently any longer. He had been holding in a storm of coughs for so long, he couldn't help but need to release at least _one_. Of course, it had to be right when Rick was opening the door.

“What was that?” Rick questioned, peeking his head into Eva's bedroom. Jordan could hear the quick thumping of Eva's footsteps as she ran to Rick, “U-Uh!”

Her mind raced for another fast excuse,” Um, P-pests! I have, uh, pests in the walls! S-squirrels maybe? They must have knocked something down in the walls, yeah!” Don stepped up behind the two, crossing his arms in slight irritation, “You have pests, Eva? Then you should call the apartment management, they need to take care of this. How long has it been going on?”

While Don kept interrogating her about these supposed pests, Rick walked into her room cautiously & set the rocket seat against the wall next to the door. Standing in the middle of the room silently, he took note of how tidy it actually was. Sure, there was a little clutter here & there, but nothing even close to the dump she implied it was.

But he dismissed this fact, & decided to focus on pinpointing these pests. “Hey, be quiet for a sec,” Rick said, waving a hand in the direction of Eva & Don, who were still bickering in the doorway. They both fell silent & Don walked into the bedroom as well, standing at Rick's side.

“What are you doing?”

“Listening for the squirrels in the wall. If they're making a nest, we should find where it is,” the taller man responded.

A few minutes of pure silence went by, Don glancing around the room as if he expected to actually see these pests. Rick stayed there in the middle of the room, still as a statue.

_“Eva, please, I can't take this anymore!”_ Jordan's voice boomed in her mind, causing her to physically gasp & wince.

_“J-Jordan?! That you?! Wait, let me guess, Avatar telepathy powers or something?”_   Even when speaking in her head, an irritated tone soaked her words.

_“Yeah, pretty much, but that's not important! I need to get out of here, your dirty clothes are killing me.”_ She huffed & crossed her arms, a tad offended, _“Well, gee, sorry I haven't had time to do laundry! It's not even that bad, you're just being a baby. And you can't die anyways, you're immortal, so suck it up!”_  

Though she couldn’t see him, she could visualize a poor, panicked Jordan curled up on her closet floor, hand firmly clasped over his mouth as he tried not to let out a huge relieving cough. The term “drama queen” crossed her mind, but she removed it immediately in case he could hear that as well.

_“Look, Eva, just...just distract them for a second & I'll sneak into the bathroom or something!” _ His voice whined. Her arms thrust out in front of her, fingers curled in frustration, _“Why not use your teleporting powers or something?! Just leave the entire apartment!”_

She could even hear him whimper & groan in their telepathic conversation before Jordan responded, _“I'm already on thin ice communicating with you like this. The creators will be pissed if I start getting comfy using my powers whenever I want! I’d leave through the front door, but Don & Rick'll totally hear me close it. That thing is squeaky as hell.”_

Stupid creators with their stupid rules, making everything so much harder than it needed to be. And stupid door, with it’s stupid squeaky hinge! This whole situation could be so easily solved if he could just _“poof”_ out of her apartment without repercussion.

Eva silently dragged her hands down her face _, “Alright, alright! I got an idea, but you better be absolutely silent!”_  

It was a good thing Don & Rick were completely focused on finding these non-existent squirrels in her wall, with their backs to her while she stood in the short hallway. It would have been very hard to explain all of the silent gestures she was making during her mental conversation with Jordan.

“Th-That wall!” Eva suddenly shouted, Don & Rick flinching before they turned to look at her. “That wall!” She was pointing at the wall opposite her closet, rushing past the two men to slap her hands onto it, “They make the most noise here, so maybe this is where the nest is! Uh, put your ears to the wall & listen closely!”

The two men just looked at each other, perplexed, until Rick shrugged & strode over to the wall. Don followed suit, & they both pressed the sides of their bodies against the wall, ears focused on any potential sounds.

Eva stood between them, intentionally limiting their view of the doorway. _“Go, now!”_   She screamed in her head, unsure if Jordan was even listening. Just in case he wasn't, she crossed her arms behind her back & flicked her hand in the direction of the closet, hoping he would see it as a signal to make his move.

In her peripheral vision she could see Jordan slowly & quietly sneaking out of the closet, his eyes never leaving the group against the wall to keep track of their movements.

Ducking down, he tiptoed out of the room & into the hallway, where he quietly slipped into the bathroom. He closed the door as quietly as possible behind himself. When Eva heard the small, faint click of the bathroom door bolt, she let out a sigh of relief. They were safe again, for now.

 

* * *

 

Inside the bathroom, Jordan quickly fumbled into the shower & drew the curtain closed. It was a decent hiding place...as long as no one had to use the toilet.

This would be his little bunker until he could slip out the front door unnoticed by the older men. He wasn’t sure how long he was going to be there, so he sat down with his knees pressed against his chest. Funny enough, the bathtub was more spacious than his spot in the closet, so he could easily stay here for quite a while.

 

* * *

 

“Something wrong?” Don asked, lifting his head off the wall to look at Eva. “W-What? Oh, no, uh, just letting out a breath!”

Rick pushed himself off the wall & turned to Eva & Don, “Well, didn't hear anything. Pests must not be home right now?” Eva let out a fake chuckle, “Ahaha, must be. Anyways, let's go back into the living room! Or-Or we could go grab some lunch?”

Don was already walking through the doorway of her bedroom, “Lunch sounds good, I was going to offer it anyways. It's been a while since we've had a meal together as a family, hasn't it?”

“Y-Yeah, let's go now then! I'm starving!” Eva wasn't actually that hungry, but this was perfect. They could all exit the apartment & Jordan would have plenty of time to leave before they returned.  Don was even right in front of the bathroom door as he suggested this, so Jordan surely heard, & was probably thinking of the same plan as Eva.

“There's a new Nourasian & Earth fusion restaurant downtown, does that sound good?” Don asked Eva, who was following behind him into the living room. They began chatting about lunch plans, but Rick interrupted them from the front of the bathroom door, “I'll be there in a sec, godda take a leak.”

Don's eyebrows creased, “I really wish you wouldn't call it that, Rick,” he mumbled, mostly to himself. Eva was just frozen stiff. Was Rick psychic, or just having amazing luck in this little game of “Hide the Avatar”?

She couldn’t think of another quick excuse to prevent his entry into the bathroom; that would be too suspicious. She had already been weird & suspicious enough today. Maybe he could just do his business quickly, & Jordan would only have to endure the incredibly awkward & uncomfortable situation for a minute or two.

_“Surely he could manage that,”_ Eva thought, with an anxious hope that he could.

Jordan was immobilized in the shower, having heard Rick from right outside the door. It was exactly what he did _not_ want.

They both prayed to God, even Jordan (who you could argue _was_ God), that he didn't notice the boy hiding in the bathtub.

The door creaked open & Rick waltzed right in. Jordan saw his blurry silhouette from behind the curtain & stayed perfectly still. He could see Rick's hulking body walk to the toilet, right next to the shower, & stand there for for a few seconds.

Jordan gulped silently, sweat beading on his skin. If the overwhelming odor of Eva’s dirty, gasoline-soaked laundry wasn't going to kill him, this suspense surely would.

Rick then slowly turned towards the toilet, & there was the swift sound of a zipper to break the silence. Jordan jumped ever so slightly, and in the process, knocked a bottle of shampoo from the edge of the bathtub with his elbow.

The sound of the bottle hitting the floor of the tub boomed in the silent bathroom. He was more than positive Eva & Don heard it in the living room as well.

_“Shit. Shit. Shit. I'm dead. I'm dead. Eva is going to murder me. I'm dead. Shit._ ”

The silence that followed felt like an eternity as neither man inside the bathroom made a move.

Then, the curtain flung open & Jordan's eyes bulged, staring up at the familiar hulking ex-racer. What a sight it must have been for Rick: seeing this familiar but grown boy with the look of a deer in headlights, cowering in the bathtub of his _basically_ step daughter.

Though, he had no semblance of surprise on his face whatsoever. He had even already zipped his pants back up, as if he never intended to use the facilities in the first place.

“Hey little mouse!” Rick yelled loudly from the bathroom, smirking down at the petrified Avatar, “I think I found your pest problem!”

 

* * *

 

Don paced in the living room, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose while Rick stood off to the side with his arms crossed. He was cool as a cucumber despite the thick layer of tension in the room; A polar opposite to Don. Eva & Jordan sat on the couch in front of them, looking as if they were guilty children caught in a lie. Well, that's wasn't _too_ far from the truth.

“So,” Don spoke up, “Let me get the story straight: Jordan, you've been living secretly on Earth for about a year? And you just so happen to enroll in the same school as Eva? You're also still The Avatar, but you're allowed to be here as long as you don't abuse your powers & keep up with your duties. Anything _else_ I should know about?”

Jordan stared down at his feet, terrified to look at Don, “T-That's about it, sir…” Despite the fact that Don was no longer his boss, Jordan still felt compelled to treat him as such. He had also experienced Don’s wrath in the past, & did not want to potentially ignite it now.

“And Eva,” Don said, turning his eyes onto his nervous daughter, “Why didn't you tell us?” “U-Uh…” Her eyes frantically moved up & down, glancing from her father to her hands in her lap. She had her excuse, which she thought was entirely valid, but she was scared to find out if her father disagreed.

“W-Well...He’s still The Avatar, ya know…? I figured...it could get...messy? With the government, if you knew he was here…” her voice grew quiet as she finished her explanation.

One of Don's eyebrows perked up. He was not expecting a pretty sound reasoning behind Eva & Jordan's little scheme, “So you tried to hide him in your apartment? And thought we wouldn't find out?”

“Well, you didn't find him,” Rick interjected, finally adding to the conversation.

“W-Well I would have!” Don fired back, crossing his arms to match Rick as he looked up at him. “Heh, yeah, _sure_ you would have. I already knew he was here when we walked in.”

Everyone turned to Rick, shocked expressions on their faces. “W-Wait, you did?!” Eva shouted, “When did you find out?!” A smirk formed on Rick's face, “When we were outside your front door. I thought I heard a guy's voice yell, & figured it was one of the neighbors. But when I saw how obviously freaked out you looked when you opened the door, I knew something was up. Honestly, though, I wasn't expecting it to be the long lost Jordan Wilde.”

Rick reached down & patted Jordan on the shoulder, to signify he was happy to see him again. Jordan couldn't help but smile up at Rick, glad that at least someone was being positive about this situation.

“I didn't hear any voice?” Don replied with a puzzled expression. “You're losing your hearing old man. My young & spry ears can hear a pin drop from a mile away,” Rick scoffed, shifting his position to lean against the top of the couch behind Jordan. Eva & Jordan let out their own genuine giggles from Rick's playful jab.

“R-Regardless...” Don huffed, “Jordan, you being here is a _big deal_ . It's not like I'm not happy to see you, I am...very glad to know you're doing...well?”

The inflection at the end of his sentence implied he was more so asking than implying. Kindness was never Don's strong suit, but he was trying his best here. It was a little harder than usual since Jordan's appearance didn't leave much to the imagination about his current living conditions. Though he had been using Eva's laundry & shower more often, he still looked...a bit of a mess. Luckily, he blended right in with other college students, but that was unimportant right now.

“U-Uh, yeah, I'm good.” Jordan replied, able to look at Don calmly now that the tension in the room was dissipating. “Well, I'm still _technically_ homeless,” he said, hands lifted to make physical air quotes, “but it's not like it's a big deal...Anyways...what are we gonna do about...me, I guess?”

That was the million dollar question here. Really, anything could happen if the Earth Coalition were made aware of Jordan's existence on Earth. The political discourse that could ensue would possibly destroy much of the peace currently held in the milky way if President McMullen were to assume the power of the Avatar was on his side.

A huge conquest of the entire galaxy could happen. It could end in the Earth Coalition lowering themselves to the same levels as the Crogs, using brute force to try & bend other planets to their will. Or, by having them foolishly destroy themselves & putting the safety of Earth in jeopardy by rushing into war with neighboring planets.

Jordan would never agree to this, of course, as he was a neutral power meant to keep the balance of the universe. This could go south as well, however, in the case where the Earth Coalition would lose faith in the Avatar. The loss of faith, or even a potential war against Oban itself could ensue depending on how upset the president would react over the absolute neutrality the Avatar must abide by.

Don Wei was a man of principal, therefore, he should tell the government this incredibly vital development. But, logically, was that the correct choice? He thought long & hard as he stood in front of the group, chin resting between his thumb & index finger. Eva & Jordan had their eyes on Don, anxieties high as they awaited his answer. The room was absolutely silent.

“Uh,” Rick spoke, breaking the quiet, “We don’t tell them? Isn't it obvious?”

Again, everyone looked over at Rick, Eva & Jordan smiling with relief while Don gave him a concerned look. “Are you sure, Rick…? If the Earth Coalition finds out we've been keeping this information to ourselves, there could be grave consequences… “

The two young adults couldn't deny that. Letting this secret out was a potential danger to the Earth & galaxy, but keeping it under wraps was a danger to themselves. Rick just rolled his eyes behind his shades & waved a limp hand in the air, “Consequences shmoncequences, they won't find out. You worry too much, Don.”

Eva & Jordan turned their faces back to Don, pleading with their eyes. “Please, dad?” Eva said quietly as she locked eye contact with him. That was all it took to break him.

Resting his forehead into the palm of his hand, he let out a deep sigh before answering, “Fine. Jordan, your secret is safe with us.”

Arms were immediately wrapped around Don, both by Eva & Jordan as they jumped from the couch in joy. Don flailed & let out a surprised yelp, the scene making Rick bellow out a series laughs.

“Thank you so much, dad! I love you!” “Thank you sir, thank you!”

The two squeezed Don into a tight group hug as they showered him with thanks, & the older man was doing a terrible job at accepting it. Rick came over to join as well, his huge arms almost able to wrap around the entire group. Everyone but Don was letting out cheerful giggles, but this was quickly broken by Don grunting & squirming his way out of the embrace.

“T-That's quite enough! Y-You're very welcome, Jordan.” Don said, fixing his disheveled clothes as he tried to regain his composure. Rick walked over to Don, resting his hand on his back, to which the older man immediately relaxed into.

Eva knew that he was just trying to calm her dad down. She had learned many of their little relationship quirks that have developed in the past few years. Though they were not affectionate at all in front of others, small touches & gestures were a calming force for Don, & Rick was happy to oblige.

Don cleared his throat, straightening his posture, “Well, with all that out of the way...Jordan, would you like to join us for lunch?” A sincere smile had finally graced Don's face, & Jordan happily accepted the invitation. Eva let out a deep breath, almost overwhelmed with a euphoric sense of relief. She felt like she had been holding her breath this entire time.

Rick walked over by the front door, already putting his boots back on before the rest of the group. “C’mon then, _dear_ , let's get the kids & go!”

Eva snickered as a blush bloomed on Don's face in response to Rick’s teasing.  He turned his face to the floor & walked silently to the door to slip his loafers back on, not gracing Rick with a response. Though Rick was good at calming Don down, he was just as good at getting him riled up, & using pet names was a surefire way to get him flustered.

Jordan stood there, taking this in, as it was the first time he had seen them actually do or say anything resembling a romantic couple. It wasn't necessarily weird to him, but it was different. Something to adjust to, he supposed.

 

* * *

  
They spent more time catching up in the car. They had plenty of time to, as Don managed to get them lost in the big college city while trying to find the restaurant. He scrolled through the maps app on his phone while Rick tapped his fingers on the wheel & carried on conversations with Eva & Jordan in the back seat.

“Ya know, I've been wondering something, Jordan,” Rick said as he pulled up & stopped at a red light.

“Yeah?”

“You're on the enrollment list at Burroughs, but how are you still managing to fly under the radar? You'd think they'd be investigating a student with the same name as an ex-military student who's filed under the government as MIA.”

Eva had never really questioned it before, but now that Rick brought it up, how _did_ he manage to slip past this obstacle?

“Heh, it was pretty smart of me, actually!” Jordan stated proudly, puffing out his chest. Using the rear view mirror, Rick looked back at Jordan with a raised eyebrow, “Well? What did you do, Mr. Avatar?”

“My name on the files isn't ‘Jordan C. Wilde’, its ‘Jordan C. Wild’. Like, without the ‘e’ at the end!” His goofy grin was plastered on his face, noise pointed high in the air as he basked in his own ego.

The rest of the car was quiet. Don even broke away from his focus on directions, turning slightly to Jordan with a grimace. Eva looked as if he had just told the worst joke in the universe. Hell, it was up there.

“That,” she said with a deadpan voice, “is so stupid.”

“But!” Rick remarked, “Clever.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PHEW what a chapter. It probably needs more refinement, but I've been sitting on this for so long that I'm sorta sick of reading it over & over lol. Was fun to write, though! Don & Rick are so fun to write in lol. Hope you enjoyed it!


	8. Happy Birthday, Eva

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Eva's birthday, & Jordan joins her in celebrating.

“Alright, finals are next week, so make sure you do the review modules online to help yourselves practice the material. For now, class is dismissed.”

 

* * *

 

Eva & Jordan exited the building, making their way to the parking lot where Eva's rocket seat was waiting. “Ugh, I'm not looking forward to finals at all...mind if I come over for a study session?” Jordan asked while Eva clicked opened the back compartment.

She gave him an elongated “Uhhhh” as the lid slowly rose, & only stopped after she had tossed her bag inside. There was no response to follow it up, however. Her expression looked as if she couldn't find the exact words she needed.

Jordan raised an eyebrow, puzzled, & tossed his worn backpack in with his friend's, “‘Uhhhhhhh?’ Is that a 'no', then?” A hand slammed the lid back down & Eva stood up, scratching the back of her head, “Well, it's just like...I won't be studying tonight, cuz it's...my birthday?” Since there really was no good way to bring it up, her words came out a bit awkward & fumbled.

Jordan's jaw dropped, & he grabbed Eva's shoulders intensely, “Your Birthday?! Molly, you should have said something! Happy birthday, partner!” Before she knew it, Jordan had squeezed her into a tight hug, tilting their bodies slowly back & forth playfully. She giggled, returning the embrace & patting his back heartily, “Heh, thank you, Jordan, but you can let go now!” And so he did, flashing his goofy smile at her.

“We should celebrate, then! Are Don & Rick coming?” he asked, an excited sparkle in his eye. Eva leaned against her rocket seat, hands in her jean pockets, “Actually, that's the thing: I was going to celebrate, but...by myself. Dad & Rick cant get off work until the weekend, so we we're going to do something then.”

The Avatar's shoulders drooped slightly. To him, your birthday was always a day to spend time & celebrate with your close friends & family. The idea of Eva spending it alone was a bit heart breaking.

“Oh…” he mumbled, some of the excitement leaving his face. She noticed his mood drop, so smiled & patted his shoulder to reassure him, “Hey, don't be depressed about it! Dad called me first thing in the morning, so I already got my birthday wishes from him & Rick. I'm perfectly fine with that!”

This, he was relieved to hear, especially if she was happy with it, “Ok ok, I understand then. Still, how were you going to celebrate?” Arms crossed, she sighed before responding, “Well...promise not to get all sad about it, ok?” Her deep red eyes locked on his, silently saying her request was serious. He blinked & furrowed his bushy eyebrows, but nodded in confirmation.

“Alright, so, since I spent most of my birthdays alone at Sterns, I made a sort of, ‘birthday ritual’, I guess. I usually get a cupcake or two, some ice cream, & watch my favorite movie.” Her gaze had lowered to the asphalt of the parking lot as she spoke, a feeling of bitter nostalgia forming in her gut, “I couldn't always get ice cream when I was at Sterns, but I could manage the cupcake & movie since i nabbed a portable DVD player as a kid. And it just kinda stuck, so that's what i usually do every year…”

Eva finished her small story & looked back up at Jordan’s golden eyes. Small tears were welled up in them, & he frowned hard to keep them from spilling over. A huff came from the girl, after seeing his glum, puppy-like expression, “Hey, what did I say about getting sad about it?” She turned away from him, pouting in displeasure from his reaction.

“B-But!” he blubbered, “It _is_ sad! It's so sad, Molly!” He reached his arms out to give her another hug, but she kept him at bay by pushing against his chest with her hand. “Its fine, seriously! Its relaxing. Kinda cathartic? And dad & Rick would watch the movie with me, so it's not like I did it alone for all of my birthdays,” she said with a shrug.

Once again, Jordan was pleased to hear that, so he sobered up from his mini emotional crisis. “Well, then can I come celebrate with you?” he asked blankly. Really, he was a bit surprised Eva hadn't already asked him to; Probably so Jordan could spend the time studying or something along those lines.

“Actually, scratch that, I _am_  going to celebrate with you!” he stated before she could give him an answer. One of his arms wrapped around Eva's shoulder playfully, giving her a little shake. Laughing, she gave another shrug & fished her keys out of her pocket, “If you're gonna invite yourself, I guess I can't say no! I need to stop at the store on the way home for birthday treat stuff, you wanna come with?” He nodded enthusiastically, grateful that she didn't deny his self-invitation.

They both boarded the vehicle, with Eva in the driver's seat & Jordan holding onto her waist from behind, & set off from campus.

 

* * *

 

First stop was the baking aisle. Jordan paused in front of the candles, looking over the selection. He reached for the number shaped candles, pulling a ‘2’ off the rack before looking over at Eva. She stood in front of a wall of boxes, deciding which flavor of instant cake-mix she was craving tonight.

“So how old are you now? Twenty…?” he trailed off, hand wavering over the other numbered candles while he waited for her answer. “Twenty-two. Also, I don't need candles, I'm not a kid.”

Jordan puffed his cheeks out a little & pulled another ‘2’ candle off the rack anyways. “Would you prefer I stick twenty two separate candles onto one cupcake? And don't worry, I'll pay for everything, so you're getting candles!”

Her deep scarlet eyes blinked at him, “Uh, you sure?” He took the small basket she was holding that already contained paper baking cups, “Yup, I'm sure! And don't get any of that instant shit, I'll make you cupcakes from _scratch_ _!_ ” His bushy eyebrows wriggled as he gave her a cocky grin, & she giggled before accepting his offer, “Grab some cocoa powder then, cuz I'm thinking chocolate. With funfetti frosting!”

Odd combo, but Jordan happily accepted it. He grabbed a container of said frosting off the shelf, since he wasn't really the best at making it.

Next on the agenda was grabbing some ice cream, & Eva wasted no time picking out a strawberry flavor. “Chocolate & strawberries go together!” was her reasoning for the unconventional choice. “Whatever the birthday girl wants,” Jordan shrugged & placed the container in the basket.

All ready to go, they headed to the check out registers. Jordan had a small bundle of bills with him, saved from more odd jobs he had been performing between classes. It was quite a bit more than he usually had on hand, Eva noticed,  looking over his shoulder while he paid. She assumed he hadn't been eating, so there wasn't much for him _to_ spend money on. Being an immortal being had _some_ benefits, it seems.

After paying, he shoved the change into his pockets & handed the grocery bag to Eva. Then, he made an odd request of his friend, “Go wait out by the rocket seat, ok? I'm gonna grab something else.”

Now, Eva wasn't going to be fooled; She knew he was going to get her a present. She attempted to protest, but Jordan sushed her immediately, “No, no complaining, just go. I'll only be a few minutes, I promise.” Not necessarily happy about it, but knowing there was no use arguing about it, she reluctantly left through the automatic sliding doors.

With the groceries shoved into the back compartment with their school bags, she seated herself in front of the handles & started the engine. Jordan came back a few minutes later, holding a small & cheesy ‘Happy Birthday' gift bag in his hand. Eva held her hand out with a mild scowl, ready to receive the gift she never asked for.

But Jordan just looked at her hand & kept his grip on the gift, “What? No presents until after cake!” She just sighed & rolled her eyes, “Fine! I didn't even ask for it, but whatever, let's go!” He hopped on behind her, & they were at Eva's apartment in just 10 minutes. Much, much faster than walking or waiting for the bus.

 

* * *

 

A sweet, chocolatey smell wafted around her apartment, & Jordan pushed himself up from the couch to retrieve the cupcakes from the oven. He pulled them out & grinned, actually quite happy with how they turned out. Placing them on the counter to cool, he walked back over to the front of the couch, where Eva was sifting through a box of old DVDs on the floor.

“So, cupcakes are done, but they need to cool before we can frost them. Find the movie yet?” he asked & sat down in front of the box. She was flipping over a few blank cases, popping them open to check the disk inside, “Not yet. DVDs are so old, it's hard to find ones with the proper cases. I know it's somewhere in this sea of blank ones...” He pulled a few plastic cases out himself & began to search with her.

A few more minutes passed before an ecstatic, “Yes!” came from Eva. Jordan lifted his eyes up to his friend, “Oh, didja find it?” Tossing a few cases back into the box, she stood up & gave him a thumbs up, “Yeah! Now I need to get the DVD player. Hold on, I think it's in my closet.”

She ran to her bedroom & stared searching through the plastic storage tubs inside her closet, so Jordan decided to check on the cupcakes. Gently, he tapped the tops with his finger tips, “Yup, cool enough.” He peeled open the frosting container & started scooping frosting onto the small cakes with a knife. Then he grabbed two bowls from the cabinets, placed a cupcake inside, & finished it up with two scoops of ice cream on the side.

“Found it!” Eva exclaimed victoriously, running out into the living room with the small device raised in the air. “Nice, start it up, then!” Jordan replied, & came over with the two bowls. He even had time to stick the two ‘2’ shaped candles into Eva’s cupcake, though only barely considering how little space there was for them. Definitely made for more of an _actual_ cake.

“Pft, they aren't even lit, Jordan,” she noted as she took the bowl from him. “Well, I couldn't find a lighter, but that's fine. They're festive!” She grinned & shrugged, placing the open DVD player on the coffee table, slipping the disc inside, “Can't argue with that logic.”

They sat on the couch, bowls in hand as Eva pressed the play button. She finished her cake & ice cream early into the film, with Jordan finishing up soon after. Of course, Eva showered Jordan with compliments on the delicious cupcakes, which he sheepishly accepted. He did have to admit, they came out pretty tasty.

They focused their attention fully on the movie now, leaning in close to each other so they could both see the small screen. It was an animated movie, from the early 2010's. A family story, Eva said, of a single mom with two children who were also part wolf. Jordan thought it was a bit of a silly premise, but was surprised by how the film played out. The focus was all about the family as the children grew older, & how their familial relationship evolved while they struggled with accepting both the human & wolf sides of themselves.

Eva tried to hide how choked up she was by the climax of the movie, but Jordan noticed easily. It was a bit hard to ignore the hics & whimpers coming from his partner beside him. But he said nothing, deciding to just let her enjoy the movie without any playful teasing.

By the end, Eva was sniffling & wiping her eyes, “Man, I love this movie so much.” Jordan leaned back into the couch as the credits began to roll, “I can see why. It really was good, for being so old.” Jordan's thoughts on the movie were positive, nothing overzealous, but it was pretty clear why Eva had so many feelings about this movie: It was a story about a mother & her children. Considering Eva's motherless childhood, she must have found comfort in a story centering around that relationship in a positive way. If she saw it in her young childhood, it probably only impacted her even more. But, maybe, in a more depressing way.

These days, however, cathartic was definitely the right word.

“It’s a classic! Glad you liked it. What was your favorite part?” They discussed the movie for a small while, their bodies settled into each end of the couch. Jordan threw out a few criticisms, of which Eva agreed with some & disagreed with others. Then she went on about all her favorite things about it, how many times she's seen it, & how she would kill for them to re-release it on a modern format like holodisc.

It warmed Jordan's soul to see her like this, & was more than happy to be here to witness it.

He suddenly perked up in the middle of her cheerful rambling & rose from the couch, “Oh, hold on, I almost forgot!” Eva stopped talking & peeked up from the top of the couch, watching him walk over to his jacket in the kitchen. He pulled the small gift bag out of the pocket, & frowned to see it was crumpled & squished a bit.

Regardless, he came back over & presented it to Eva, holding it out to her, “Happy birthday, Eva.” His voice was & eyes were full of warmth as she smiled at her. Caught off guard by the casual use of her real name, she blushed slightly. “Ah, thanks, Jordan…”

She took the bag, stuck her hand inside, & pulled out a small box. The packaging showed it was a small speaker, & the same brand of player she had when they were together on the Earth Team. This one, however, was shaped like a sphere with a flat bottom. It was pink, with the iconic small ears, eye, & smile decorating the top. The body of the device was separated into 3 flat speakers, which flipped outwards in a similar manner to her old player.

Jordan scratched the back of his neck, “Its, uh, a bit cheap & small, but it has bluetooth & a USB so you can use your phone with it. Ya like it?” Eva opened the box & slipped the small speaker into her hands, looking it over. A huge smile slowly spread across her face as she looked it over, happy memories from her old player rushing back. “Jordan, I love it. It's so cute, & honestly just what I needed! My old player broke back in high school, & I was so bummed about it...This is perfect!”

She flung her arms around his shoulders, making Jordan jump slightly. His face grew red as Eva squeezed him, “Thank you so much, Jordan. Not just for the gift, but for the awesome birthday too.” He slowly lifted his arms around her back & returned the hug with a smile, “Of course, no problem. Happy Birthday, Eva.”

She pulled back & set her brand new speaker on the coffee table, “Now, I'm thinking of having some seconds on cake & ice cream! What about you?” Jordan nodded & grabbed their bowls, bringing them back over to the kitchen, “You got it, birthday girl.”

 

* * *

 

 

The next day, she was filled with regret. Her stomach was aching from all the sugar of the previous night. She was twenty two now, she couldn't eat like a teen anymore. _“It was fun, though...I'd gladly do it again,”_ she thought before another groan escaped her, rolling over miserably on the couch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short lil cute chapter. Now I want cake.  
> Bonus points for you if you know the movie described in this chapter~


	9. Road Trip (Pt. 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A very rare meteor shower is coming close to the Earth, & Eva really wants to go see it. It involves a bit of a road trip, & of course, nothing can go wrong...

"So it's by Fairbanks, right?" The Avatar leaned back in his chair, twirling a pen between his fingers.

"A bit to the west of it, yeah. I _reeeeally_ want to see it, but the forecast says there'll be storms the rest of the weekend, so the sky'll be just full of clouds & rain on Saturday."

Eva sat across from Jordan, slouched pathetically onto the table in the student lounge. The subject of their discussion was a meteor shower that would be coming close to Earth the following week. Not just any meteor shower, either: It was one that only came into view every 174 years, 3 months, roughly 2-5 days, & would last for 2 nights.

Whispers had been flying around campus of a special viewing party that would be taking place at a campsite a few hours away from Burroughs Academy. It apparently had the best view for miles around, with plenty of openings in the forest canopy & devoid of light pollution from the city.

Though Eva wasn't one for the "party" aspect of it, she was incredibly interested in being able to see the spectacle as clearly as possible. The wrench in their plans, however, was that the only clear day they could see it was the same day they had their final exam in Electromagnetic Theory at 4:15pm. Realistically, even if they left immediately after their test, the area would already be full of drunk, obnoxious party students by the time they arrived.

As much as Eva wanted to view this once in a (human) lifetime event, she didn't want to deal with loud, alcohol fueled crowds filling the forest.

Jordan hummed & rocked back & forth in his chair, "I think you should go anyway. If it's that bad, you can just go back home." She rolled her eyes in response, "But it's a 3 hour ride up there. I'd really rather not spend the rest of the night driving back after getting a disappointing whiff of sweaty, drunk party-goers. I doubt they're even going to appreciate the meteor shower…"

Her last sentence was muffled from burying her face in her arms. Jordan couldn't help but smile from her adorable & childish pouting, "Hey, that's just how they are, but you can always find your own space away from the party. It might not even be as bad as you think! Everyone else has finals too, maybe they'll be too tired to bother driving for hours to a party."

He leaned forward & poked her arm with his pen, & she slowly looked up at him from her comforting arm nest. "If you really don't want to miss out, I think you should go & take the chance. If I come with to keep you company, will that help?"

Finally, he was rewarded with a small smile from Eva. She lifted her head up from the table with a small artificial groan, "If you actually _want_ to come along, then yes. Are you interested in seeing the meteor shower, too?"

He lifted his shoulders in a small shrug, "Eh, when you become the master of the galaxy, you see a lot of em. They all start blurring together after looking over so many planets & seeing them over & over again. But hey, they're probably better when you have someone to watch it with, right?"

After being alone on Oban for so many years, Jordan found most things to be dreadfully dull if he was doing it alone. But if he was with Eva, they could even watch paint dry & he would have an amazing time.

She giggled & nodded, "Yeah, that stuff is no fun when if you do it by yourself. Even if you find it boring, I'll keep you entertained! So, we can leave right after our Final on Friday, head to my apartment, pack, & head out. Sound good?" Jordan flashed a grin & gave her a thumbs up, "Sounds good to me, partner!"

 

* * *

 

Sleeping bags, a packed cooler, a small tent, & other miscellaneous items were shoved into the tiny trunk of Eva's rocket seat. It was almost bursting, barely able to close, but Jordan finally got it latched with a grunt & a push. Wiping the sweat off his brow, he let out a breath, "Phew! Everything's packed, so we can get going now!"

"Sweet! Think the drinks will be ok in there?" Eva asked, handing a large pair of orange goggles to Jordan. He looked at them inquisitively before taking them, "Yeah, they'll be fine, might just get shaken up a little. The goggles are for…?"

She smirked & pulled her own classic pink pair from her jean pocket, "For your eyes, dummy. We'll be on the highway for most of the trip, so unless you want your eyes to dry up, I'd suggest putting them on."

Eva swung her leg up onto the vehicle & straddled herself into the driver's seat, & Jordan huffed & climbed on behind her, "Excuse you, invincible Avatar powers, remember? My eyes will be fine, thanks." With a slightly irritated expression, she turned to look back at him, keys in the ignition & ready to go...But her hand was firm on the keys set at 'off', not moving a muscle.

"Ok, I admit I forgot about that, but if you don't want to be suspicious & weird, flying through the highway with your bare eyes open to the elements, I'd suggest putting them on. Or, we can just stay here."

Jordan's thick eyebrows creased, a bit embarrassed, & he shamefully slipped them over his eyes. Sometimes, he too forgot that the way his body works now is not the norm. Most of the time it was minor stuff that would be hard to notice, & the chances of someone even taking note of him while driving by was small. However, it was better to be safe than sorry & take the precautions to keep his secret hidden.

Satisfied, Eva flipped the key to turn the engine on & slipped her own pair of goggles over her eyes, "Ok, good to go! Hold on tight, I'm gonna go fast." Jordan nodded & gripped his large hands around her sides, holding onto her gently. She let out a hardy laugh, loud enough to hear over the rocket seat's engine, & reached back to grab his arms herself. She yanked him forward, his chest bumping against her back, & wrapped his arms around her waist like a belt, "I said _tightly!_ I'll be going really fast, & I don't want you falling off & delaying the trip. Now, let's go!"

Jordan's cheeks blushed bright red, & he was deeply thankful that Eva couldn't see him right now. Hopefully she wouldn't notice his heart practically pounding out of his chest against her back, either. He set his head carefully on her shoulder, trying not to get too close, & tightened his grip around her waist.

With a twist on the handles, Eva revved the engine & took off, driving onto the highway.

 

* * *

 

They had been on the road for about an hour, & were making great time on their trip. Eva's eyes periodically glanced at her phone, which was clipped onto a small stand in the middle of her handles. A GPS app mapped out their destination, with a small blue dot moving along to indicate their location.

Jordan had spent most of the trip watching the landscape move quickly past him. He didn't want to distract Eva from driving with mindless conversation, & was entertained enough at the various clutches of plant life along the road & slowly weaning sunlight.

Suddenly, Eva spoke up, which caused Jordan to tighten his grip for a second in surprise, "Oh, hey! The GPS says we can cut about half an hour off our time if we take this back road. Wanna go for it?" He peered over her shoulder at the screen, taking note of the bright white path branching off of the highway. "Yeah, sure, why not! The turn's coming up on your right, so I'll keep an eye out!" he yelled back above the intense wind current.

In just a few minutes, Jordan's arm shot out to the side of her, pointing at a gray gravel road hidden behind a thick wooden fence, "I think that's it!" Eva grinned & nodded, setting her index & middle fingers on the breaks in preparation for the turn, "Alright, hold on tight! It'll be a sharp turn!"

Jordan barely had a second to tighten his grip, yelping out as Eva practically drifted the machine off the highway & onto the dirt road. His body yanked on Eva's, his weight almost being thrown from the seat, but she gripped her handles tighter to keep steady while he regained his composure.

"Give me more of a warning, next time!" he begged, still catching his breath from the excitement. "Well, point out the turn faster next time!" She retaliated, focusing her eyes back on the road. Jordan just sighed & settled back into position.

Quickly, they had left the traffic & foliage of the main highway behind.

Their new path took them to the textbook definition of "middle of nowhere". Fields, as far as their eyes could see, were the only thing that surrounded them. Not even a farm building, house, or a lone tree stood on the horizon. This worried Eva slightly, but according to her GPS, they were going the right way.

Another thing that had her concerned, was the increasing roughness of their ride. They were both almost constantly bouncing out of their seats, which was incredibly bizarre for a machine that hovers above the ground.

Suddenly, Jordan blinked & flicked his head around, trying to confirm if their surroundings were really flying by slower. Eva started swinging her head around as well, which unfortunately helped Jordan confirm that they really were slowing down.

"What's wrong? Do we need fuel?" Jordan asked over Eva's shoulder. She was in a bit of a panic now, & she frantically twisted her handles in a futile attempt to push the engine further, "No, I filled it up before we left! I think we need to stop & pull over. _Shit_." The curse that left her lips was quiet, but with Jordan's close proximity, he heard her clearly. It did nothing to ease his anxieties.

Pulling over onto the barely existent shoulder, Eva set a foot down onto the road, jolting when it made contact with the rocks & dirt. "You ok, Molly?" Jordan asked in concern, releasing his grip from her waist. "Yeah, just, hit the ground faster than I… should…"

Jordan hopped down from his seat & waited to see what Eva would do. Yanking her goggles up to her forehead, she knelt down onto the road, wincing from the sharp stones pushing into her knees. Her eyes widened when she saw her vehicle barely hovering an inch above the road. "Ok, that's not normal. That's not good."

Jordan walked around the machine to squat down next to his friend, worried about exactly what _wasn't_ good, "Uh, what's up?" She opened her mouth to speak, but instead a small scream escaped her throat when the rocket seat fell onto the gravel with a clunky metal thud. With nothing keeping it steady, it quickly fell over & smacked Jordan's head with its handlebars.

"Ugh! Ok, yeah, this doesn't seem good," he sighed, pushing the machine off of him. Eva immediately stood up & grabbed the handles, pulling it back up, "Sorry! You ok, Jordan?" He rubbed the point of impact in pain, but nodded, "Yeah, I'll be fine."

She sighed in relief & pulled the machine farther off the road, almost into the grass, & pushed out the rusty kickstand with her foot, "I think the magnetic field generator died...That, or something's stopping the current from keeping it active...Ugh, shit shit _shit!_ "

Jordan reached out pointlessly to Eva when she ran over to the trunk & flung it open, "M-Molly!" Their camping items were haphazardly tossed into the grass while Eva dug down inside, & eventually she pulled out a small tool kit she always kept in case of emergencies. "I'm gonna open it up & take a look...Pray that it's something I can fix."

His arms lowered back down when she reclaimed her place next to the side of the rocket seat. Her voice lacked any hope, but Jordan knew there was some form determination keeping her from simply breaking down. It was an aspect of her personality he found really endearing, & it helped to keep him from spiraling in these kinds of situation too. He was always thankful for the strength she constantly, unintentionally gifted him.

The boy stood up & clapped his hands together, as if he was making an important announcement,  "Alright, I'll keep a look out for any cars coming by to see if they can help, since I'm guessing they don't have AA for rocket seats…?" Though that last part was meant to be a rhetorical jest, Eva gave an annoyed groan, "No, & honestly this thing isn't even street legal...I'd rather not call anyone & get a scolding, or worse. This is already frustrating enough…"

Fingers fumbling in the small plastic tool case, she pulled out a screwdriver to remove the plate hiding the inner mechanisms of the machine. A warm hand gently patted her shoulder, & she turned to looked up at Jordan who was giving her an encouraging, soft smile, "Hey, it'll be ok. If there's anyone that can fix it, it's you, Mols. Just keep focused & I'm sure we'll be back on the road in no time."

His words & confidence in her lifted her spirits significantly, & she smiled back at him, "Thanks, Jordan." She didn't want to always count on him, but his support had always been such a saving grace for her, especially during their Earth Team days. Honestly, this situation gave her a small sense of nostalgia from the many misadventures they experienced during their time with The Great Race. Maybe there was some blind optimism, sure, but the way it seemed Jordan always truly believed & trusted in Eva lit some sort of fire inside her.

With renewed strength, she turned her attention back to the engine, so Jordan turned his to the road. He stood there on the shoulder, scanning both sides of the gravel path for any potential help that may come along.

 

* * *

 

Alas, as the sky turned shades of dark red, bright orange, & gold, no help came along.

Jordan sat on the edge of the ditch, sipping from a bottle of water they had packed. He stared out into the fields & watched the sun slowly descend, but was unable to appreciate the beautiful sight. Background noise of distant birds & Eva clinking metal pieces together had kept him on edge the entire time. Concern, both about them being stranded & about his friend's emotional condition, enveloped his thoughts & kept his stress high the entire time.

Abrupt sounds of tools & machinery falling into the grass startled him, & he glanced over to Eva's impromptu work station. She rose from the ground, strode over to the side of him, & collapsed onto the grass without a word. Dirty, tired hands covered her face, & she released out a loud muffled scream to relieve a _tiny_ bit of the immense stress.

"No luck, I'm guessing?" Jordan said with blunt disappointment, & pulled out a bottle of water from their cooler to hand to Eva. She lifted one limp hand & took it, "Its shot, completely. The engine is fine, but without anything to keep it off the ground, we aren't going anywhere. We're up shit creek without a paddle, Jordan, & I don't know what to do…" Her voice cracked with a frustrated whine of defeat.

Jordan could see how utterly exhausted & upset she was, forehead beaded with sweat, with dirt & grease stains speckling her jeans & hands. "Hey…" He stopped mid sentence, watching Eva prop herself up onto her elbows with a grunt & taking a big chug of water from the bottle, "...It'll be ok, Eva…"

He was trying his hardest to keep her spirits from entering an abysmal pit, she knew this. But sadly, her emotional state was too worn down to see it as anything more but an empty sentiment. His comfort could only work for so long when things kept deteriorating.

They sat there in silence, Jordan looking out into the vast fields & Eva staring upwards directly into the sky. Young, green stalks of wheat flowed gently along with the breeze, painting their unfortunate situation into an ironically picturesque scene bathed in golden light. A dark blue gradient was starting to bleed into the sky as the sun set further, coloring it with a variety of beautiful shades.

"Hmm...well, why don't we just stay here, for the night?" the boy suggested, looking over at the girl with a single raised fuzzy eyebrow.

Eva glanced over at him, then looked back up into the quickly darkening sky. A few moments passed while Eva assessed the situation & their surroundings, coming to a lukewarm conclusion before she spoke, "That's…not an _awful_ idea, I guess. The sky is really clear, at least…"

The Avatar looked up towards the coming night sky & was pleased to see tiny stars slowly revealing themselves as the sun dragged the last bits of warm color down with it. "Yeah, it is. You should be able to see the meteor shower really well here. Hell, maybe even better than at the campsite!" He enthusiastically lifted a fist, & a small grin grew on Eva's face.

"Y'know, yeah! And I don't have to worry about some drunk assholes ruining my time." She hopped up from the ground & brushed the grass off her pants, "Ok, then we'll set up camp here for the night & figure out what to do in the morning! Not like I'll be able to work on the engine much with only moonlight."

Jordan jumped up with matching energy, "Yeah! We can still make this fun! You hungry? I can make some dinner, did you pack anything?" Slightly embarrassed, Eva stuck her hands into her pockets & looked off to the side nonchalantly, "Heh, uh all I really packed was some meal replacement bars...that counts as dinner, right?"

It took everything in him to resist scolding her for her continued awful meal habits. But, with this entirely failed evening, his complaints would do nothing but worsen the already fragile positive atmosphere. "Ok, I guess it's fine. Let's get set up, then," he said with an exhausted sigh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, long time no see! I had some trouble figuring out the order of events, but I think I got the ball rolling on this fic again. I'm really busy this month, so the 2nd half of this chapter may be a while, but it'll come! Trust me~
> 
> Anyways, Eva's life is very sitcom-esque, ain't it? At least it's exciting!


	10. Road Trip (Pt. 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WELL HELLO THIS FIC IS NOT DEAD I ASSURE YOU! Was just busy, then due to a suggestion from a friend, I went back & revised/reformatted my entire fic cuz GOD what was I thinking with those giant paragraphs? Anyways, everything reads much better & easier now! And with that out of the way, here's pt 2~

"Alright, tent's set up!" Jordan announced, brushing his hands past each other as a sign of a job well done. 

Munching away at a cocoa-flavored meal bar, Eva gazed in amazement at how fast Jordan had put the tent together, "Wow, that took you, what...like, 5 minutes? Nice job!" The boy rubbed his nose proudly, soaking in the praise, "Hey, guns aren't the only thing I'm good at putting together!"

Eva tossed him a meal bar from her spot next to their still rolled-up sleeping bags, "Here's a reward: honey oat, your favorite!" He snatched it out of the air & walked over to her, taking a seat on top of his sleeping bag.

"Ah, a classic~ So, when does the meteor shower start? All the stars are gonna be out soon," he asked, pulling off the wrapper. While Jordan wolfed down the snack, Eva checked the time on her phone, "Looks like it should start in about half an hour or so. Plenty of time to set up an optimal meteor shower viewing spot!" 

This, of course, just meant a worn old quilt on the ground in a spot with the best view. With the lack of any obstructions blocking out the sky & only short fields for miles around, this would be incredibly simple. 

"Let's put the blanket on the side of the ditch, so we can lay down on the incline!" Jordan suggested, pulling the worn old thing out of the trunk. Eva agreed & took two corners of the quilt, Jordan taking the other two. Both of them spread out & lifted it into the air before laying it gently on the sloped grass carefully.  They brought over their sleeping bags as well & rolled them out on top, completing their viewing station.

Eva was the first to settle in on top of her sleeping bag, lying comfortably back with her needs pointed up. Her nose scrunched up slightly, & she lifted her arm to cough into the nook of her elbow, "Ugh, been a while since this blanket or sleeping bag got any use. They're a bit musky."

Jordan, who decided to sit up next to her with one knee propped up & his arm leaning onto it, curiously inhaled, "Eh, it's not that bad. Kinda nostalgic, actually! Reminds me of playing with my siblings when I was a kid." 

Eva's eyes shifted from the star filled sky to Jordan's face. Dare she push him to open up about his family more…? 

"Um...what did you use to do with your siblings? Being a single child & all, I never got to experience that stuff." He blinked, looking down at her with a bit of surprise from the random question, "Hmm, well, nothing that different from everyone else's sibling experiences, probably. We'd go explore out in the neighborhood, play pretend games, get in stupid fights, stuff like that. We use to play a lot in the attic of our house too, which is probably why this musky quilt is making me nostalgic. Smells just as dusty & old, haha!" 

His warm, deep laughs filled the silence of the environment, overpowering the faint crickets & rustling of wheat in the fields. He finished with a sigh, & looked high up into the sparkling sky. Eva's eyes lifted to the sky as well, assuming he was finished reminiscing. That was fine, she didn't want to pry anyways, so she turned her attention to the millions of stars before them. 

"The stars reminds me of home, too," Jordan said, a somber smile on his face. Again, Eva turned to him, detecting a hint of sadness in his voice. "My hometown was really small, nothing like the city, so the night sky was always pretty starry. But my brother, sister & I would bike out of town a little ways sometimes in the summer to go stargazing. My brother really liked astrology, so he'd try to drag us out as often as possible & try to teach us constellations & stuff." 

Eva giggled, "Aw, that's cute. Did he do a good job? Remember anything?" Jordan thought for a moment, looking up towards the stars with focus, "Uhh...that's Corvus, I think…?" He leaned down towards Eva, trying to match her eye level, & pointed towards the west of the sky. 

She jumped slightly, feeling his arm brush against her's when he positioned himself next to her. His face was also mere inches away from hers, as if he'd never heard of personal space. Eva's eyes were caught & locked onto the stars, but not via the sky. She was looking at them reflected in Jordan's eyes, the bright sparkles looking beautiful against the bright gold. 

"Do you see it?" He asked without looking at her, keeping his index finger fixed on the sky. This got her eyes to move, & she squinted while seeking out the constellation, "Wait, what's the shape suppose to be?" Jordan leaned in even more, oblivious to how close he was getting, making Eva's face flare up. He traced an off-square shape in the sky with his finger flicking downwards at the end, "Its sorta like that, with a tail at the bottom, right there." 

Eva's eyes flicked all around the sky, trying to detect the constellation, "I...think I see it? Is it that?" she questioned, pointing in generally the same direction as Jordan. "Yeah, it's around there. With all the stars it can be sorta hard to tell. Oh, over here is one of my favorites, it's called Coma...Barcines? No, wait, Coma Berenices!" His hand shifted south, pointing out 3 exceptionally bright stars in a cluster. 

"Guess what shape it makes?" He smirked, looking at Eva from the corner of his eyes. She had to take a second to locate & study the stars, then tilted her head, "...Uh, a triangle…?" Jordan chuckled & moved his hand over the stars in his view, drawing out the shape, "Nah, it's just a corner." His hand moved up, then right, drawing out the insanely simple design.

"What? Pft, it's just an upside down right angle! That's so lame!" Eva whined, her hand flipping into a thumbs-down position. The Avatar just laughed & shook his head, holding his gut with his hand to try & contain himself, "Its not lame, it's funny! It's just a corner, but it still gets it's own name & everything!" Eva chuckled a bit, honestly more amused by his reaction than anything.  _ "Yeah, it was a little funny, I guess", _ she thought,  _ "Jordan would find something funny about something as simple as this." _

 

Suddenly, Eva jolted up from her sleeping bag & sat up, her index finger shooting out into a random spot in the sky, "Jordan, I think it's starting!" His head whipped around to follow her finger, eyes scanning for any bolts of light. Sure enough, another meteor flew across the sky off to the right of Eva's finger. 

Before they knew it, the sky was scattered with falling trails of light, hundreds & hundreds of them mingling with the stars. A wide smile spread across Eva's face while she watched, eyes wide & focused, "It's...absolutely amazing…!" she said in a loud whisper, bringing her hand back to rest at her side.

Jordan gazed into the sky with his own small smile for a bit, enjoying the meteor shower for what it was. Though nothing astounding to him, it was nice to see from this angle for once. Then he turned back to his friend, & his eyes fell on Eva.

Breathless didn't even _begin_ to cover how he felt right there. 

The light of the stars & the moon made her skin practically glow with an almost ethereal, but beautiful soft light. Her smile was as bright as the stars themselves, shining from the reflection of the moonlight. Her dark hair flowed gracefully around her from the slight summer breeze, catching as much light as her smile. And in her eyes, the falling meteors danced in her crimson red irises in the most gorgeous & magical way. How could this simple, pathetic spectacle of space even hold a candle to her radiance right now? 

"Yeah it's...beautiful…" he mumbled, obviously not talking about the sky. Eva didn't notice, however, & just kept her view upward. Her utter joy & amazement just made Jordan even more mesmerized by her. He should have known, seen this coming, that he would just fall for her all over again tonight. What an idiot he was.

Once the initial amazement faded, Eva laid herself back down on her sleeping bag & got comfortable, lifting her knees up again & placing her hands on her stomach. She laid there, gazing at the stars in silence with her friend beside her, with a warm sense of happiness filling her being. 

These were moments she wished she had as a child, ones that she would make with her friends & cherish. With spending most of her life at sterns, she really did miss out on a lot of typical childhood joys. Sleepovers, birthday parties, roaming the streets with her friends...stargazing…

Better late than never, at least. 

Eva turned to smile up at Jordan, barely catching his stare on her. Luckily, he turned away barely in time for her to notice. “So, having fun yet?” she wondered in a giddy tone, crossing one leg over to rest atop her knee. She really hoped he was enjoying himself as much as she was. 

“O-Oh, yeah, it’s fun! Didn’t think there would be this many,” he responded, having barely paid attention to the phenomenon. “I told ya it was gonna be awesome,” Eva chided, poking at his side. Jordan just chuckled & turned his head back up to the sky to actually admire the falling sparks of light, resisting the awkward urge to admire other things. 

More silenced passed, aside from the musical chirps of crickets hiding in the grass. Jordan eventually let out a huge sigh & fell back onto his sleeping bag, closing his eyes. Eva blinked & looked over at him, breaking her stare from the meteor shower, "Going to sleep?"

He shook his head & took another deep breath, exhaling through his nostrils before speaking, "Nah, just missing Noah. He would have loved to see this. Hell, he's probably watching it right now with Sam & mom...sitting out on the porch with a pair of binoculars like a nerd, heh…" His voice was an odd cocktail of nostalgia, longing, & a touch of anger. Maybe, though, it was the slightest taste of resentment. Still, no matter the feeling, it was the first time Jordan had ever spoken with that feeling about his family, & it _hurt._

Pain, sudden & sharp, struck her chest. It was like a small slice, merely a minor papercut at Eva’s heart. But god, did it sting, & sadness slowly started seeping from the wound. 

Her eyelids lowered, excitement about making memories with her dear friend dramatically dropping into guilt for taking his own opportunity to do the same away from him. For being the reason for his sacrifice, & the reason he couldn't be with his family right now, Eva could only blame herself. She felt it was unfair of her now to enjoy this time when Jordan obviously was feeling quite different.

 How selfish.

“...Jordan?” Eva asked in a low voice, a pained look of concern on her face. He turned to her, expression surprisingly neutral until he saw her own. His eyebrows wrinkled together, concerned, “What’s wrong, Molly?” She couldn’t let her eyes meet his, for some reason. It hurt more, seeing the gold that replaced the past obsidian. 

Softly, she asked, “Do you regret becoming The Avatar…?” 

Jordan’s face stiffened. What an almost impossible question she had just imposed on him. 

Turning his face back up to the sky, he watched the meteors fall again, expression unreadable. His silence only made Eva nervous, but she didn’t want to push him, either. All she could do was sit in the silence & await his answer, hopefully a real one that wouldn’t be considerate of her feelings. She wanted the truth, no sugar-coating. 

 

“That’s a really stupid question, Molly,” was the first thing to leave his lips, along with a small laugh. This made Eva turn back to him, absolutely bewildered. “H-Hey, no it’s not! It was serious!” she shouted, spreading her arms outward for emphasis. 

This just made him laugh more, the rumble of his laughs greatly lightening the depressing atmosphere. Eva puffed her cheeks out, crossing her arms in front of her chest, “Fine, don’t answer then, whatever!” 

Wiping a tear from the corner of his eye, Jordan sucked in a deep breath to regain his oxygen before responding, “N-No, I’ll answer, just, haha…!” A few more chuckles escaped him before he could continue, “Of course I don’t! Even if I did, what’s the point?” 

Blinking, Eva raised an eyebrow curiously at him, “What do you mean?” Jordan shrugged, a lopsided smile on his face, “Because regrets aren’t going to change anything. There’s no undo button or resignation letter for this thing, so what’s the point in feeling bad about it?” 

“I...guess that’s true,” she responded, looking down. He was right, she couldn't deny that. 

"But," he said, a slightly more serious tone to his voice now, "If I could make the choice, somehow, I don't think I'd stay The Avatar. Or, at least, get to grow up a little before taking on a big role like this. Don't get me wrong, I've been trying my best & I haven't really messed up yet, but even I don't think a random kid from a random planet is the best choice for the job of protecting the galaxy, ya know?" 

Soaking in his words, she nodded, completely understanding. Eva had actually spent a lot of time after returning to Earth contemplating the events & entire process for choosing The Avatar. Really? It didn't make much sense, but maybe that was all due to unwavering traditions. Knowing Jordan personally & knowing his strong heart for justice was a solace in him taking on the role, but it never did seem fair, no matter how she sliced it.

He was so young, & still had so much ahead of him in life back on Earth that he would never get to experience. Well, at least that was no longer the case. Mostly. 

"Ya know, Jordan, you've become a lot more...thoughtful," she said, smiling softly, her heavy heart growing lighter. The Avatar needed a certain level of maturity & understanding for the role, & it was clear to her that Jordan had gained this. Perhaps it took time, but he was there. She was always right to have faith in him.

A small amount of color came to his cheeks, & he fidgeted with the collar of his shirt, "U-Uh, thanks Molly." She just snickered slightly, enjoying his flustered response, "I mean it. Really mature of you to think that way & stuff. I just wish you didn't have to sacrifice so much for it…" 

He shrugged again, "Yeah, it sucks, but I've mostly made peace with it. I miss my family a lot, yeah, but as long as I can keep doing right by them & protect them by being The Avatar...I'm ok." 

Flashing his trademark goofy smile & a thumbs up, Eva was truly assured he was, and would be, ok. Her guilt slowly dripped away, the warm comfort she had come to love coming back. She gave him a glowing smile in return. 

"Sorry we got so heavy there," she sighed, reaching up to pat him on the shoulder. "Hey, it's fine! Nothing wrong with a little heart-to-heart chat with a friend, right?" 

"Nope, nothing wrong with it at all...So, his name is Noah? Is Sam your little sister, then?" Eva asked, changing the subject slightly. She was trying to tread the topic lightly, not letting blunt curiosity get the better of her. 

"Yup. Her full name is Samantha but everyone calls her Sam, except mom, who calls her Sammy. My mom's name is Beth, by the way, isn't it such a stereotypical mom name?" Jordan teased, sounding quite happy to reminisce more about his family again, to Eva's relief. 

They spent most of the night laying there, chatting away while viewing the meteor shower & star filled sky. Eventually, as the hour grew late, Eva retired to the small tent to leave Jordan by himself on the quilt. The remainder of the night he had spent awake, thinking...a lot, about his life then & now.

But by the time the stars started to fade & pastel hues began to emerge over the horizon, he was smiling. 

 

* * *

 

 

A few loud honks jolted Eva from her sleep the next morning. "Ugh, what the fuck…?" she groaned, agitated, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. 

Sluggishly, she emerged from the tent a few minutes later & saw Jordan standing next to the road. He was talking with someone sitting in a worn dirt-red truck, the age of the machine shown through the peeling paint & rust. Jordan turned in her direction upon hearing the zipper of the tent, & gestured her over with a smile. 

"Here she is. This is my friend, Eva! She's the one who built that rocket seat, all by herself," he proudly introduced, moving out of the way so Eva could get a look at the person Jordan was talking to. 

He was a much older man, face tanned & wrinkled from many years of work in the sun. His salt & peppered hair was hidden under an old hat, & he had a very bushy mustache underneath a plump nose that hid his mouth. He smiled, the curve of his mustache displaying so, & held a hand out to her from his rolled-down window, "Well, howdy there Miss Eva! The name's Joseph, you can call me Joe." 

Still a bit dazed & not awake, she looked at his hand with a blank expression before shaking it limply, "Hey, uh, nice to meet you, Joe…" She turned to Jordan, & he easily picked up on her confusion, "These are Joe's fields. He was doing his morning drive to check on them & saw our little make-shift campsite on the side of the road." 

Joe nodded, a gruff chuckle coming from him, "Sorry if I scared y'all! I saw yer torn up rocket seat there on the side & was a bit worried, figured maybe y'all were stranded." Eva laughed weakly, "That's, uh, not far off, haha. The magnetic field generator died, & no one was around, so we just sorta set up here to figure out what to do in the morning…"

Jordan nodded towards Joe, confirming Eva's story to be true. The man jerked a thumb towards the bed of his truck, his teeth barely poking out from the bottom of his scruffy mustache from a wide smile, "I see! Well, if y'all wanna drop yer stuff off in the bed, I can take ya into town!" 

Eva, taken aback by this stranger's immense kindness, raised her hands & waved them, "A-Ah, that's a lot of trouble, we couldn't do that to you!" Joe blinked, adjusting the brim of his cap, "S'really no problem at all, I was gonna head there anyways for some supplies. Ya sure?" 

Before she could decline further, Jordan wrapped an arm around Eva's back & clamped his fingers on her shoulder with a light squeeze. This made her flinch, giving Jordan the chance to accept his offer for them, "We would appreciate that so much, Joe, thank you! Do you mind giving us a few minutes to pack up?" 

"O'course, take all the time ya need! I'll make some room for y'all in the cab," the old man assured them with another smile. Jordan turned Eva around, then spoke low so Joe couldn't hear them as they walked back to their little camping zone, "Hey, he just wants to help, let him, Molly." 

Sighing, she shrugged his hand off her shoulder, "Its just a lot to do for some strangers, don't you think?" He shook his head, beginning to dismantle the tent, "No, not really. Some people just really wanna do things out of the kindness of their hearts for others."

Why was this such a foreign concept to her? Why was this hard for her to grasp? 

But why was it so easy for Jordan to understand? 

Then, it clicked. Of course Jordan would know; His entire reason for existing was dependent on selflessly doing things for others now. Not just a few strangers, no, but billions & billions of them through the whole galaxy. And Eva could so clearly see how much joy it brought him, & how worth it his actions were, even with no return. 

Jordan had grown more thoughtful, but he had also grown much more kind. 

She didn't question Joe's offer further. They finished packing quickly, shoving their items & the rocket seat into the bed of the worn old truck before sliding into the snug cab with Joe. Was a bit of a tight fit, but no one really complained. 

They set off from there, clouds of dust billowing behind them down the gravel road. "So," Joe spoke up, looking over at the two younger people, "Did y'all see the meteor shower last night?" 

Both of them nodded, & Eva immediately was filled to the brim with a warm, fresh nostalgia. Certainly, last night was a memory she would hold close for a long time from now. 

"It was absolutely beautiful." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Random farmer Joe is the real MVP. Also, got some more Jordan-family talk! I personally think Jordan had a fairly sweet & close-knit family, & they spent a lot of time together. Makes the fact that Jordan can't see them all the more bitter sweet. :'c  
> Also, with this chapter done, I'll be taking a small break! I have some other things I really wanna write/have strong inspo for right now (specifically a Maya/Don date one shot & some later chapters for this series) so I'd like to get on those while the inspo is strong! Ty for everyone who reads~


	11. Moving In

Drumming his fingers against the side of the plastic cup, Jordan looked across the table to Eva. She was ecstatic, going on about how immensely proud she was of herself of her final grades. Some of the tests & projects were a real challenge, but she came out on top in the end. Jordan did just fine as well, nothing exceptional, but he passed all his classes with no issue.

He didn't feel the same emotional high as his friend, however. No relief from grades & excitement for summer break filled his mind. Instead, he had a melancholy & dull dread deep within his gut. With the end of the spring semester, & beginning of summer vacation, came a sad reality:

Eva would return home to Don & Rick. 

She would come back, of course, in the fall with the new semester. But in that time, Jordan would be all alone in the city. Again. He didn't want that, especially not after miraculously finding & reconnecting with Eva. It was entirely selfish of him to feel this way, but he couldn't deny his feelings. It hurt. 

"Jordan? You there, partner?" 

A hand was waving a few inches from his face, trying to nab his attention. His head lifted off his palm & his eyes snapped to look at Eva, "Oh, uh, sorry! Got a little lost in thought, I guess." She tilted her head, both curious & concerned, "About what?" 

He looked down at the lid of his iced coffee, the faint radio playing in the small cafe filling the silence between them. How the hell was he supposed to answer this without sounding like a pathetic, sad, needy idiot? "Uhh," was all he said while he tried to untie the knot in his brain.

Eva waited patiently for his answer, sipping at her own beverage. The time it took Jordan to gather his words only made her worry more. "...'Uhh' what?" A defeated sigh left Jordan's lips & he smiled sadly, "It's just gonna be...really lonely here without you, is all…" 

She didn't have a reply for this. He was stating a fact. A sad one, but a fact all the same. Due to his circumstances, Jordan really didn't have anyone or anywhere to go for the summer, except back to the shelter farther off in the city. Eva thought it sounded...kind of miserable. 

"Mhm...You don't have any friends? Anyone to stay with, instead of the shelter…?" she inquired carefully. He shook his head, "Nope. I've been pretty cautious about getting too close to people, considering Avatar stuff. I've made a few small friends here & there, but mostly just from jobs or people at the shelter." 

She nodded in understanding. It must have been a sad fate for him, having to keep everyone at an arm's length due to his secret. If anyone besides the original Earth Team found out, who knows what sort of repercussions could arise. Better safe than sorry, she figured, even if it was at the expense of companionship. 

Then, an idea sparked in her head. She lifted up her index finger, drawing Jordan's attention again, "Hey, this won't solve your friendless-summer problem-" 

_"Ouch, way to put it Mols,"_ he winced internally. 

"-but why don't you stay at my apartment for the summer? It's probably miles better than the shelter, & then you can keep the place tidy for me while I'm gone! No one'll be there anyways, so it'd be great for the rent to actually matter, haha." 

Jordan only blinked, the offer taking a moment to sink in. He brought his hand to his chin, thumb tapping against it while he mulled the idea over. Could he accept something so...unnecessary? It would be a hell of a lot better than a cot at the shelter, but it wasn't a big deal to him anyways. Not having to eat or sleep to survive, he didn't spend much time there in the first place. 

Actually, he had been spending most of his time over at Eva's already. He even brought his duffel bag over sometimes, with all of his few earthly possessions, when he crashed on her couch overnight. He cooked there (mostly for Eva), bathed there, slept there sometimes...It was sounding more & more appealing as he weighed the pros & lack of any real cons. 

A smile pulled at the side of his mouth & he turned to Eva, "Are you sure? It wouldn't be a problem for you or your dad, right?" A pleased expression came over her face, & she childishly let her legs kick back & forth under the table in excitement, "Nah, don't worry about dad! You'd be doing us a favor, really. Just don't go in my room." 

"Aww, but where will I sleep?" he whined, exaggerating his tone as a joke. She rolled her eyes & chuckled, "The couch is plenty comfy!" 

 

* * *

 

"Clean the entire apartment once a week. You'll be responsible for buying any food or cleaning products. Keep the windows open for at least 3 hours a day, to help circulate the air. Eva's room is off limits, & under no circumstances may you enter. No parties, but you may have a maximum of two guests at a time." 

"I don't know anyone else around here, Mr. Wei." 

"Ah, then forget that last rule."

The Avatar's shoulders slumped while Don berated him outside the apartment building, drilling these rules into his head before they left with his friend. Rick came down the steps, rocket seat slung over his shoulder, "Alright, I think we got everything." Eva followed after him, a large suitcase in hand. She tossed it in the trunk of Don's car & slammed it shut. 

Jordan could feel his throat tighten while he watched it all happen, dreading every minute that went by. His hand gripped the strap of his duffel bag that was slung over his shoulder, now halfheartedly listening to Don's yammering. His focus was on Eva, watching her chat with Rick as he effortlessly placed the rocket seat on the roof of the car & began strapping it down. It really put a damper on his excitement to finally live in a real home for the first time in a long time. 

"Got it, Wilde?" Don said in a stern tone, holding his hand out to Jordan. The boy snapped back to attention & shook Don's hand with a noticeable lack of energy, "O-Oh, yes sir." Don cocked an eyebrow up, but he left it at that. Jordan would probably be fine by himself, he assumed. More so, he was just happy that the rent he paid to keep the place during the summer wouldn't be wasted. 

The back door of Don's car slammed, & Eva lightly jogged over to the two men, "Dad, I'm gonna go say goodbye to Jordan & give him the keys." She twirled the key ring around her finger & turned around, grabbing onto Jordan's wrist to pull him along. 

"Ah, I'll come wi-" He was interrupted by Rick's hand on his shoulder, holding him back firmly, "Nah, just let them go. You already gave Jordan the rundown, so let them say their goodbyes in peace." With a huff, Don watched the two walk off. Together, him & Rick turned around, walking towards the car to wait for Eva.

 

While walking up the stairs back to the apartment, Jordan tried to lighten his own mood, "So, did you get the same huge list of rules from Don when you moved in, too?" Eva shrugged, "Like, half as many. Sorry if he was a hardass about it, but I'm sure you'll be fine. You're responsible!" Jordan put on a fake grin, "Heh, it's ok, you're right." 

_"More like I'll just sit around the apartment all summer doing nothing by myself."_ Oh how he wished he could dismiss these lonely thoughts for now, but they were persistent. 

They arrived once more at the apartment together, the door still wide open as Eva & Rick left it. Jordan walked in, dropped his duffel bag to the floor, & turned to look at Molly with a smile, "Welp, I'm all moved in!" She laughed & tinkered with her key ring, slipping the apartment key off of it.

She held it out to him, & he took it slowly. It was a weird feeling for Jordan to have this large of a possession again, even if only temporary. He looked around, mixed feelings about it all. Eva would only be taking her clothes & some every-day use items, so much of it was still in tact. It felt a lot like she was just going to run an errand & would be back soon, but the key in his hand insisted otherwise. The cold metal pricked at his nerves. 

“Soooo…” Eva sighed, kicking at nothing in the doorway, “You gonna be ok by yourself?” He feigned a confident smile & gave her a thumbs up, “Of course! You got nothing to worry about. What about you? Excited to stay at home for a bit?” She waved a flat hand back & forth in the air with a side-smile, “Eh, it’ll be fun & relaxing, but you know how my dad can be.” Jordan chuckled in response, “Yeah, I just got an ear full.”

An awkward silence fell over them, with not much left to say. But they lingered there, with Jordan standing in the middle of the living room & Eva in the doorway. She needed to leave, as Don & Rick were waiting, but her feet didn't budge. This went on for an uncomfortable amount of time.

Begrudgingly, Jordan opened his arms & stepped forward, “Well, you should go. I hope you have a good summer, Molly.” He had to swallow his own woes as he spoke, trying to keep this goodbye a happy one. 

Eva’s eyebrows wrinkled together as she smiled somberly, & rushed into his arms at a surprising speed, hugging him tightly around the waist. Jordan was taken aback for a moment, but sighed deeply & returned the embrace just as strongly. 

“I’ll miss you, Jordan,” she spoke, quiet & muffled. “I’ll miss ya too, Mols. But you’ll be back in a few months, so just enjoy yourself.” How pathetic, to give the words of comfort he couldn’t accept himself. He probably needed them way more than she did. At least she had a family to go home to.

She pulled back & smiled up at him, a melancholy air hanging between them, “Yup, I’ll be back before you know it. Well...Take care, Jordan.” 

And with a small wave from the doorway, Eva left _. “It’s just a few months, Jordan, you can do it. She’ll be back.”_

“...This still sucks,” he mumbled to himself. 

 

* * *

 

Eva was settled into her house in less than a week, already back into a similar routine from before she left for college. It had been really nice to spend time with her dad & Rick, though mostly Rick, since her dad was still gone most of the day for work. They watched a lot of stupid garbage television or worked together in the garden, just like her weekends in high school. She was enjoying herself quite a bit. 

But she always felt a little off. She assumed she was still just adjusting, but even after 2 weeks back home, the feeling lingered. It felt a lot like something...or someone, was missing. Maybe she had gotten use to Jordan being around constantly back at her apartment, so her mind still expected him to be there. She kept finding herself thinking he would be in a room when she entered, or he would come over soon with a backpack full of homework or ingredients for dinner. 

However, she never expected the disappointment that would always gnaw at her when he wasn't there. She didn't expect to...miss him like this. 

There was still a long summer ahead of her, so she just shook the feelings off as best she could. If only there were more distractions. Maybe she could make adjustments on her rocket seat in the garage over the summer...like install a larger second seat for Jordan. 

 

"Ahh thanks for dinner, Rick, it was super good!" Eva proclaimed, leaning back in her chair & patting her stomach with a satisfied smile. Rick chuckled & grabbed her empty plate, "Glad ya liked it, little mouse. I was afraid it was gonna be a little too spicy for you." 

She smirked & looked over at Don, "Not for me, but maybe for dad." The older man's face was bright red, his composure wavering while sweat drops trickled down his forehead. Coughing slightly, he shook his head, "N-No, it's not that bad. Just, ugh, j-just a little spicy." He took a huge glug of water, contrary to what he said. 

Rick just sighed as he rinsed his & Eva's dishes off in the sink, "I told you I could make yours mild, Don. You're too old for food like this." The older man grimaced, scooping up another forkful of food, "I am not old, & I am not too old for spicy food!" 

He shoved the food into his mouth with a trembling hand & almost choked when Eva patted his back heartily, "Don't push yourself dad, seriously, you'll get heartburn. I'm gonna go chill in my room now, call me if ya need me." Don only nodded, trying to swallow, so Eva made her way up to her old bedroom. 

 

She flopped onto her bed, laying atop the old red & black star-patterned sheets she had picked out in high school. Her whole room still had a lot of hallmarks from her high school years decorating it: Rock bands & racing posters, worn stickers decorating her dresser & desk, red fairy lights tapped up around the corners of her ceiling, & a closet packed with old clothes she had grown out of long ago. Her Earth team uniform was packed away in a box far in the back. 

A large yawn escaped her gaping mouth, & she pulled her laptop from the floor up to her pillow. She mindlessly explored around the internet, checking the current racing season rankings & watching videos. It really wasn't much different from what she would be doing back at her apartment. The only difference was the lack of comfortable background banter between her & a certain Avatar. 

_"Wish Jordan had a phone so I could check in on him,"_ she thought, wondering how everything was going. She had this passing thought almost every night. 

A blaring electronic-punk song coming from her phone made her jump, & she leaned over to her bedside table to grab it. On the lock screen, she had an incoming call from 'Koji'. Her face lit up, & she answered it immediately, "Koji, long time no talk! What's up?" 

"Eva, good to hear from you!" Koji replied, a cheerful tone to his voice. "Heeeey Eva!" Stan said loudly, sounding a tad farther off from Koji. 

"Hehe, tell Stan I said hey back. Everything going well since Miguel retired?" She asked, settling against her pillows with her arm behind her head. 

"Yeah, pretty smooth sailing so far. There's a lot more accounting, now that we have to take care of the finances, but it's not bad. About that, though, remember that big mechanics conference that's happening a little far off from your place? Performance Racing Industry Trade Show?" Koji inquired. 

Eva was deeply confused for a few seconds, before her brain corrected her, "Oh, my apartment! Sorry, I'm back home with dad & Rick, so I thought you meant here." 

"Oh, shoot," Koji said with slight frustrated disappointment. Eva swore she could hear the slap of his palm against his own forehead. 

"I forgot summer vacation was a thing! See, we're going to the conference with a new racer model we've been cooking up, but she needs a lot of work. We were hoping to stay in the city for a month or so before PRI & have you help us out, but if you're not there…" 

She jumped up from her lying position, heart pounding with excitement, "Whoa, hold on, you guys were gonna come visit? You should have said so earlier!"

"Actually," Stan said, sounding a bit closer but still not as close to the phone, "We're on our way right now, got the racer in the back trailer." 

"Right now?! You guys really need to give people more of a heads up with these things!" Now it was Eva's turn to face palm. 

"H-Hey, it was last minute for us too! Our invitation got delayed, what with the transfer of business & legalities. It's complicated," Koji let out a sigh into the speaker, & Eva was sympathetic to his stress. 

"And that's why we were hoping to get your help on this baby," Stan chimed back in, "She needs a lot of work to be spic & span in time for the conference, & you were the first person thought of: Our little mechanic stowaway!" 

Eva snickered, "You sure it's not just because my apartment is on the way?" 

Koji chuckled lightly, "No, but that does make things a lot easier. But if you're not there, I guess-"

"Wait, how far are you guys?" 

"O-Oh, uh, how far, Stan?" 

"About 4 hours, maybe 3 if the traffic doesn't pick up." 

Her decision was a no brainer. She loved her father & Rick, truly, but now there was so much more waiting for her back in the city. Stan & Koji needed her, she would have a great project to work on during the summer, maybe even get to visit the trade show with them…

And she would get to see Jordan again. 

She immediately hopped off her bed & started shoving her clothes back into her suitcase, "I'll be there. Race ya to see who gets in the city first!" Flying down the stairs, she ran to tell her father & Rick.

 

* * *

 

Nothing much had changed in the apartment since Eva left. Jordan had barely touched the kitchen, & the bathroom was unchanged aside from a new bottle of shampoo & body wash on the shelf of the tub. The only evidence that someone was actively living there was the low-effort sleeping set up of a pillow & blanket on the couch & Jordan’s pile of unpacked clothes. He didn't have a dresser or closet, so the floor would have to do. 

He had barely moved from his place on the couch as well. If he wasn’t out doing some random job for pocket change or teleported off to Oban, he usually spent his time melting his brain with television. He didn’t have much desire for anything else & had years worth of seasons to catch up on anyways. It was oddly cathartic to see how fast time would pass after he finished binging another show. 

And Jordan was doing just that tonight: curling up on the couch with the blanket tossed lazily over his shoulders, eyes glued to some action drama on screen. He hadn’t moved all evening, it seemed. 

But he almost fell off the couch in startling surprise when a loud bang came from the front door, almost loud enough to shake the whole apartment. “W-What the hell!” he yelled back in response to the knock, ripping the blanket off to stomp over to the door. It was way too late for normal solicitors, & anyone who knew Eva would know she’d be gone for the summer, so who the hell could it be? 

He jerked the door open, ready to scream at the visitor for bothering him so late at night. The annoyed grimace on his face immediately melted away when he saw Eva standing before him with her suitcase at her side. She waved up at him anxiously due to his previously foul expression, “Uh, did I come at a bad time?” Jordan just blinked, his initial confusion delaying his ability to process his happiness. 

“E-Eva! No no, just, why are you here?” he stammered, a bright smile he couldn’t contain now plastered on his face. Eva relaxed now & grinned back at him, “Ok, so, remember Stan & Koji?” 

Jordan welcomed her back into her apartment & tossed his things off the couch, making room for her to sit down & explain. She relayed Koji’s phone call, their request to have Eva work with them on the racer, & her plan to come back to the city for the summer. It was pretty short & sweet, but Eva seemed very excited about it all. 

“Dad wasn’t happy about me leaving on such short notice, but Stan & Koji are almost here, so I needed to leave ASAP, ya know?” Jordan gasped slightly, “Wait, they’re almost here? Like, right now?” She grinned, “Yup! We’re gonna meet up tomorrow morning though, since it’s pretty late.” 

Looking the tiniest bit hopeful, Jordan pointed at himself, “Do you...Do you think I could say 'hi' to 'em?” That was a very good question, but one Eva was entirely unsure of. She crossed her arms, pondering, “I...I dunno, Jordan. Maybe? I know they could keep a secret, but it’s still dangerous…” His eyes fell to the floor, & he sighed sadly, “Yeah, I figured…Just would have been nice to see them too.” 

Eva couldn’t help but feel awful about her answer. Jordan didn’t deserve to live in secrecy like this, but it was just how things needed to be. 

On the other hand, however, they already broke the rules. Don & Rick knew, so what was the harm in letting their other dear friends from the adventure know that Jordan was back? 

She wrapped an arm around Jordan’s shoulder, giving his body a playful shake, “Hey, don’t be down! Screw the rules, I’ll ask them about it & maybe we can all hang out! Just might take a few days, give them time to settle in.” His cheeks flushed, feeling Eva’s body warmth close to him again after so long. Well, it was really just a few weeks, but it felt like forever to him. 

He couldn’t help but wrap his arms around her shoulders & pull her into a tight hug, truly appreciating everything she was doing for him. It was honestly terrifying being back on Earth in his situation, having to tiptoe around his entire identity at every waking moment. Having no one to confide in, & little to connect you to this world you were no longer bound to, was a harsh thing to accept. It was even worse knowing your family & loved ones were out there, but you shouldn’t-no, _couldn’t_ \- see them. 

But Eva had been doing everything in her power to make him feel at home again: Accepting his friendship back with open arms, giving him a space where he didn’t have to put on a facade, & risking herself to bring back connections he thought were lost to circumstance. Even with the almost unlimited power of a God, he could never do enough to repay her kindness.

Or her gift of feeling human again.

“Thank you for everything, Molly...You do too much for me, seriously,” Jordan mumbled contently. Eva laughed, hugging him back with some friendly pats on the back, “Hey, don’t worry about it, seriously! Just doing what I can for my partner.” Such an open-ended term had come to mean so much to him. His heart fluttered whenever it left her lips. 

Then, realizing a possible issue with Eva’s plans, he pulled back & looked down at his pile of meager possessions next to the couch, “Oh, so uh, should I leave? Since you’re coming back?” She was silent for only a second before giving a lax shrug with a smile, “Nah, just stay here. It’d be a real dick move if I kicked you out after saying you could stay, so just stay!” 

Jordan was relieved with her answer. Sure, it had been lonely in this apartment without her, but it was still leagues ahead of a bunk at the shelter. Also, having an actual bathroom was a blessing, “Only if you’re cool with it, Mols!” She grinned & stood up from the couch, stretching her arms up into the air, “Duh! You were practically living here anyways, with how often you were over. And we were roomies on Oban, so it’s no different!” 

“Oh yeah, that’s true...Well then, this will be the start of a beautiful roomie-ship!” Jordan exclaimed, reclaiming the entirety of the couch as he flung his upper body to the other side. Eva nodded, yawning at the same time, “ _Yaaa!_ Phew, I’m beat from the rush over here, so I’m gonna turn in.” 

He readjusted himself on the couch, pulling the blanket & pillow up from the floor, “Yeah, go get some shut eye, Molly. Or should I say, _‘Roomie’?_ ” She stuck her tongue out at him as she walked towards the hallway to her bedroom, “No, don’t. But...Goodnight, _‘Roomie’_ ~ See ya in the morning”. 

Settling into his new, permanent ‘bed’, Jordan happily drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

Finally, this apartment felt like home again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "And they were roommates" "oh my god they were roommates" 
> 
> ANYWAYS yes FINALLY Eva & Jordan are living together now! Not that they weren't basically already doing that, but it's official~ Hope you guys look forward to some fun Stan & Koji hangout times as well for the next few chapters! 
> 
> Also Performance Racing Industry is a real trade show. Not a very good name imo lol


	12. Pep Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess what? This fic aint dead LOL (tl;dr at the bottom)  
> Disclaimer: I have no idea how mechanics work, I'm bullshitting all jargon in this fic

"Stan! Koji!" 

"Eva!" 

The party of 3 embraced each other in the warm, humid parking garage. "It's so good to see you guys in person! Holochat just isn't the same," Eva chuckled when they all pulled back. Stan nodded, slipping his thumbs into his overall pockets, "Sure ain't! How else are we supposed to see how much you've grown, little stowaway?" 

Over the years, both mechanics had changed appearance slightly, but Koji more so. He had cut his hair shorter & gotten new, thick rimmed glasses, probably with a new prescription for his deteriorating vision. Visible bags hung under his eyes as well, which were new to Eva, but she contributed them to the extra hours he had been putting in during their business transfer. 

Stan was as muscular as ever, but otherwise, he didn't look much different. His fiery red hair had dulled in color a bit, small strands of gray spread throughout. His sideburns had also grown all the way around his jaw & chin, giving him a full beard. The biggest change was that he consistently wore a tight, sleeveless shirt under his work overalls. 

"It hasn't been that long since we last saw her, Stan," Koji retorted. "It was only about a year ago, when Don needed us for Grand Prix season-prep." The dark skinned man shrugged, "Eh whatever, it's been a while is my point! So, Eva, wanna check out our little pet project for the next month?" His thumb jerked behind him, her eyes following to see a huge object that was placed in the middle of the floor under a tan tarp. "Oh, you bet I am!" She cheered, running over to the mass with pure glee. 

The two men were warmed by her excited energy, & trailed after her to the hidden machine. Eva stood in front of them, almost bouncing with anticipation for the reveal. The mechanics looked at each other, grinning as their fists gripped edges of the tarp.

"Alright, Eva!" Koji exclaimed, "say hello to—"

"—The Gale!" Stan proclaimed, both of them pulling the tarp away to crumple onto the floor. 

Eva's eyes grew wide, sparkling in wonder from the sleekly designed racer in front of her. It had a similar shape to the Arrow series she was familiar with, but with a narrower & longer silhouette. The thrusters on the side were more tear-drop shaped with large metal plating protecting the inner mechanisms. The cockpit was shaped like an oval pod, probably for a more aerodynamic purpose, but was currently missing the glass cover. 

Stan patted the hull, gazing up admirably at the racer, "Speechless, huh? She's a real beaut, thanks to Koji's drafting!" The man in question laughed bashfully, "Well, it wouldn't be here as it is now without Stan's ability to build the framework from scratch." 

_ "It's so like them to push the praise onto one another _ _,"_ Eva thought with a grin. Their strengths played so naturally off one another, almost seamlessly. It was easy for them to dismiss their own hard work in favor for the effort of their friend, even when the end result only existed due to their combined qualities. It was sweet, in a dorky mechanical kind of way. 

Her finger tips dragged along the side of the machine while she made her way around it for close observation. The metal was still matte & unpainted, but felt quite cool despite the hot hair in their current work space. Racer instincts tugged at her mind to scramble into the open cockpit, but she held them back forcefully. 

A loud hollow bang sounded from the other side of the machine, making Eva jump in surprise. She peeked around the side to find Stan gesturing her over to his side. “So, why we need your help, Eva,” he started, plucking a screwdriver out of his pocket, “is because she’s actually missing most of her thruster parts, break & fuel system, & the cockpit is only about half done.”

After quickly removing 4 screws, Stan removed a metal panel to give her a glimpse of what they were currently working with. The open hole showed a few stray wires hanging on the inside & thin blue tubing. A cooling system, she assumed, explaining why it felt considerably chill despite the weather. Eva slipped her head inside & gazed at how surprisingly empty it was, forearms already aching at the amount of work that still needed to be completed.

However, this also excited her more. The Gale was like a blank canvas, just ripe with the opportunity for creative adjustments & ways they could improve her performance on the track. The ideas that popped into Eva’s mind were just thrilling, burning in the fire of her passion for mechanics. 

Koji came over from the work table with a keyboard & strap in hand, slipping it over his shoulders to rest against his abdomen. After a small click, a bright neon screen appeared in front of him, his eyes scanning over the charts & words, "So, ready to get started? First up is installing the motherboard panels for the hyper-drive systems." 

Tying her hair up in a low bun, Eva stuck out an upright thumb at Stan & koji, "Let's do it!" 

 

* * *

 

Sweat dripped off her forehead with each crank of the wrench until the bolt would no longer budge. Eva pulled a dirty rag from her pocket, wiping the layer of moisture from her face with a sigh. 

Two weeks had passed since the mechanic duo arrived in the city to finish The Gale. They had all began toiling away on the project since day 1, but unfortunately, there were a few hiccups with the build. It was to be expected with a completely new series & new technology, but an annoyance nonetheless. The genius of Stan & Koji's minds overcame the road bumps, & progress was going smoothly otherwise.

Koji looked up towards where Eva was working, standing by one of the open side panels along with Stan, "Hey Eva, wanna take a 10 minute break? Get some water?" She nodded down at him from her place in the cockpit & laid her wrench in the toolbox off to the side, "Please, I'm dying up here." 

She swung down a ladder & joined them against a wall of the parking garage, one of the cooler places in the sweltering building. Stan tossed her a crisp & cold bottle of water, which she chugged greedily. 

"Wish we could work in a nice air conditioned garage, but this is the best we could do on short notice," Stan grumbled apologetically as he sat down on a crate. 

"You already apologized, like, 5 times Stan. It's fine, really," Eva replied, pressing the damp plastic against her cheek, "Summer was probably the worst season for spend hours in a parking garage, but the heat doesn't bother me  _ too _ much."

Koji was pinching the collar of his shirt & flapping it open to relieve himself of the humidity, "That's good for you, but I'm not a fan. Still, the fact the hotel allowed this is a blessing." 

Most of this project was thrown very haphazardly together thanks to legal dealings & time restraints, but the group were making it work. Right now, they were very close to having the entire electrical & thruster system set up. After that, all that would be left is installing the fuel & breaks, finishing up with the installation of the cockpit cover.. 

Stan gazed over at The Gale, a grin pulling at his lips, "She's looking great so far though. We can probably finish her up by next week, unless we work quickly. But we don't want to get sloppy, either." 

Eva's brain ticked. An opening. 

"Um...I actually have someone I can bring that could help. Then the work would go faster, right? We can probably get it done by the end of this week!" 

Through the past few weeks, Jordan had been low-key asking & almost begging for Eva to bring him along to one of her sessions of working on The Gale. It had been getting on her nerves slightly, but in the same vein, she couldn't blame him for pestering her about it. She had been giving him a rundown every day of their progress & how Stan & Koji were doing. It probably only reinforced his desire to go. 

And now was the perfect chance to invite him. She wasn't exactly lying, as Jordan had become a decently handy mechanic himself since his start at Burroughs. The only thing she was hiding was who it specifically  _ was _ . 

"Oh, a friend of yours?" Stan inquired with a raised eyebrow. 

"Uh, yeah, we go to school together."

"Oh, so they go to Burroughs too! Then they're probably pretty skilled, huh?" Koji grinned. 

"Y-yeah! They're a year under me but they've been learning quickly. Want me to see if they can come over tomorrow? Maybe help install the cockpit cover?" 

"Sounds like a plan!" The two men said in unison, sipping down the last of their water happily. 

Jumping off the crate, Stan crushed the plastic in his fist before tossing it in a bin, "It'll be super nice to get another pair of hands around, especially if we can speed things up." 

"The sooner we get out of being in his oven of a parking garage all day, the better," Koji groaned, but you could hear the happy relief in his voice, knowing the end was in sight. "And the sooner we can test The Gale out, too." 

Eva was both a mix of giddy & terrified. Bringing Jordan in & building reconnections brought a certain spark of joy to her heart. After re-introducing him to her father and Rick, a part of her ached to do it again.  It wasn’t for a selfish feeling of self-satisfaction.

No, the joy was found in easing Jordan’s weary heart. 

Being the Avatar didn't mean he needed to be lonely, & she had already determinedly set a self-goal to help him. This was just another step, but they still needed to be careful sharing this dangerous knowledge. While it was the only risk in front of them, it presented many disastrous outcomes. And it was those very outcomes that kept her on edge when sharing the secret of his existence.

A hearty pat on her back snapped her out of her thoughts, & she turned to a smirking Stan, "Can't wait to meet 'em! Let's get back to work, though. I want to get the panel wiring in the cockpit connected before dinner." 

Taking in a deep breath, Eva followed after the two. Trembling energy & anxieties keeping her powered through the rest of the evening.

 

* * *

 

Eva was positively sweating bullets while her & Jordan walked up the stairs of the parking garage, but not from the summer heat. 

Beside her, Jordan was grinning ear to ear. He shared none of her worries, instead being filled with excitement at seeing old friends again. She was over the moon for him, of course, but this situation was completely different than the reintroduction with her father & Rick. How would it go with  _ them  _ making the first move at explaining Jordan’s entire situation?

“Do you think they still remember me?” Jordan asked, glancing nervously at Eva.

She couldn’t help but let out a small giggle, “You kidding me? The rambunctious gunner from the Earth Team, forgetful?” He responded with a huff, crossing his hands behind his head while they turned the corner of the stairwell, “Well, it’s been a few years! I’ve grown a little & got a new eye color, so maybe I’m not that recognizable.”

She waved a hand dismissively in the air, “Nah, you don’t look that different, just a bit scruffier.” One of his eyebrows cocked upwards, “Scruffy…?” he mumbled mostly to himself.

They stopped by the open entrance of the parking level where Stan & Koji could be heard clinking away at The Gale. Eva stopped Jordan from waltzing right in by holding his wrist back.

“Wait, I want to go in first, let them know they’re in for a surprise,” Eva said in a tone that was more asking than demanding. Jordan wasn’t exactly sure why they would need the heads up, but he didn’t want to stress Eva out further, “Got it, Molly. Just call me in whenever you want!”

A thankful sigh left her mouth. She then turned away to walk towards the two mechanics, hands fidgeting in her jean pockets.

 

Koji was the first to notice her footsteps. He glanced up from his hologram screen in her direction, “Eva, glad you made it! Oh, where’s your friend?”

Stan came from around the back of The Gale, a still warm welding torch in hand & a matching mask flipped up to his forehead, “Yeah, we thought you were bringing someone. Did they have to cancel?”

Her eyes darted to her scuffed shoes, mouth dry like cotton while she tried to formulate her words. 

“Um...The thing is, like…” Jordan’s name burned on her tongue, but there was no way to release it properly. Her voice was barely above a whisper while she tried to speak.

Tilting his head curiously, Koji walked over to her, “Hey, if they couldn’t make it, it’s no big deal.” Stan nodded in agreement from his place beside The Gale & scooped up a large metal panel with his hand, “Yeah, don’t worry yourself over it, Eva! We can still handle it ourselves.” A warm, soothing hand fell unexpectedly on her shoulder. She looked up to see a soft smile from Koji, "Yeah, we're a team. We got this." 

Yeah, a team. They never stopped being a team, not since they overcame their trials & tribulations in The Great Race. Truly, they had all gone through a lot together, building a network of trust & support in the chaos. Maybe this little reminder was what she needed, finding new assurance in sharing Jordan's situation. Stan & Koji could be trusted. 

She believed it would be ok now.

“No, they’re here,” Eva replied, looking up at them now with a confident smile. 

“Jordan, get in here!” 

Heavy footsteps came from the side of the cement wall where Jordan Wilde emerged. Koji’s mouth slowly fell open with disbelief, while Stan stared wide eyed & stiff by the racer.

This wasn’t exactly the kind of reception Jordan was expecting. Everyone was stunned silent, but Eva was smiling back at him with no hint of her previous nerves. He raised a hand & waved slowly, “Uh, hey guys. Been a while?”

A loud metal clang rang through the entire parking garage when Stan’s fingers gave out & dropped the panel.

 

* * *

 

“Holy—”

“—shit.”

The four of them sat across from each other in pairs, Stan & Koji on the bed of a truck holding larger racer parts, while Eva & Jordan sat on a huge crate. 

“A-Aha, yup, that’s basically the whole story,” Jordan laughed, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. He had tried not to miss any of the important details as he recounted his tale once again. So now, the mechanics were fully aware of Jordan’s status as The Avatar, what his life had become up to his point, & his current living situation with Eva.

“Honestly,” Stan said, twirling a trademark toothpick in his mouth, “The most surprising part of this whole thing is that Don’s ok with you two living together.” Koji snickered from Stan’s joke but attempted to hide it by turning away from them.

A blush flared on both Eva & Jordan’s faces, embarrassed & appalled by Stan’s implications, “Hey! It’s not like we weren’t already roommates on Oban, remember? We’re aren’t doing anything like  _ that! _ ” Eva barked, jumping up from the crate as if being next to Jordan would just implicate them more.

Beside her, Jordan’s blush grew even hotter, ears turning red when Eva further hinted at... _ that. _ Looking away & hiding the bottom part of his face with his hand, he added, “Y-Yeah guys, don’t get the wrong idea...Just friends & roommates! That's all.” Stan took notice of the boy's reaction, tucking it away for later. 

“Of course, of course, we weren’t assuming anything. Anyways, I’m glad to see you’re doing well Jordan, really, considering...everything you’ve been through. And majoring in mechanics on Earth! I never thought I’d see you work on anything besides a gun,” Koji inquired, turning the subject around quickly. _"Oh my God, thank you Koji"_ , Eva cried internally. 

Jordan relaxed back into the conversation, some of his ego bubbling to the surface as he began to rant, “Yeah, I’m actually doing really well in my classes, too! One of my professors is trying to convince me to take an advanced course next semester, since I—” 

He continued on with his prideful banter with Koji listening intently, genuinely interested to hear how he had been handling the subject. The wave of relief that had washed over Eva had her calm enough to smile & listen absentmindedly to the conversation. Once again, she was overtaken with nostalgia, happy that all 4 of them were able to enjoy each other’s company like this again. 

 

Hours had gone by while they joked & conversed with each other, more than anyone would realize. The task at hand completely flew over their heads & out the window, shown by the parts that were still lying on the floor where they had been previously dropped. 

Koji was the first to notice, twitching before looking down at a small watch on his wrist, “Oh, shoot, it’s almost 6.” Stan, who had gotten extra comfortable laying sideways in the truck bed, shrugged off his concerns, “Hey, that’s ok, we’re having a good time! We can consider this a break day, eh? What with our good ol’ friend Jordan Wilde back with us.”

He gestured his hand over to the boy, who’s expression bore a bit of guilt, “I didn’t mean to make the time get away, guys, sorry about that…” Koji shook his head, “It’s really alright. We’ll just get back to work on things tomorrow, assuming you'll come back, Jordan?" 

"Of course!" He proudly confirmed, pumping a fist in the air. "Glad to have you on the team!" Koji grinned, pleased with his enthusiasm. He would need it with the amount of work still yet to be completed.

"I think, for now-” Stan sighed, getting up to hop down from the truck, “-we should get pizza! I’m starving, & I’m sure you two won’t say no to some free dinner, right?”

That grabbed the attention of the two broke college students, as he expected. “I want extra pepperoni!” Jordan cried. “And I want pineapple!” Eva cheered. Jordan turned & sneered at Eva, sticking his tongue out in disgust with an accompanied  _ “Ick”.  _ She merely rolled her eyes & shrugged, “Sorry I don’t like boring ol’ pepperoni like you, Jord.”

Stan & Koji chuckled at their little squabble to themselves, invisible mental signals passing between them. You could almost assume they were telepathic by how easily they communicated without speaking a single word. With that, Koji slipped off the edge of the truck bed & pulled out an old pair of keys, “We should go grab it now then, if we’re all that hungry. Eva, want to come with me? I won’t be able to carry all the boxes by myself.” 

She was a bit curious as to why he signaled out her specifically, but didn’t think deeply about it. Nodding, she started making her way to the passenger side door, “Oh, yeah, sure.” Koji was already walking to the driver’s side, & Jordan sat up from the crate to follow after them, “I’ll come t—” 

He was stopped by a firm hand on his chest. Stan had stepped in front of him & held him back with a gentle force, “No, the truck’s only big enough for two. Your broad-ass shoulders wouldn’t leave any room for the pizza, anyway, Jordan.” His voice was painted in a playful tone, but there was a commanding flavor to it as well. The Avatar just stared down at Stan's hand, nervous about the sudden shift in his voice.

Jordan stood there while Eva & Koji drove away, his eyes following Stan when walked away to seat himself on the crate. 

“Come over here, Jordan. Let's talk.” 

Stan sat in Eva’s previous spot & patted the space next to him. His expression was thoughtful, but serious. It had Jordan worried that something had gone wrong with their reunion, like maybe Stan & Koji  _ couldn’t _ be trusted with his secret. 

Nevertheless, he sat down, barely avoiding eye contact with the man beside him out of fear. After a few moments of quiet, Stan spoke up.

“So, when are you gonna tell Eva how you feel, huh?”

The question almost physically smacked him in the face & knocked him to the floor. Jordan, completely blindsided, had to regain his balance & collect himself before answering. “W-W-Wait, Stan, how do you know?!” he yelled with a burning red face.

Jordan’s reaction was just too amusing for Stan to keep any sort of composure. A bellowing laugh to come out of him, echoing through the whole garage. He swung a friendly arm around the boy’s shoulder, “You ain’t subtle at all, kid! Koji & I could see it plain as day on Oban, & we can tell you’re still just as deep as ever.”

He should have been more relieved that it wasn’t something more serious, but instead, Jordan's heart sunk into embarrassment. He started to curl in on himself & covered his face with his hands, “Oh my God...I thought I was doing a good job hiding it, I must look like a complete idiot.” 

Stan patted Jordan’s shoulder, “Nah, you just look like a love-struck guy. Nothing idiotic about that, man.” The words were a bit reassuring, but Jordan continued to sulk, whining, “Eva must know then, if I’m that obvious with it. Fuck...” 

Again, Stan disagreed, “Eva’s not really...receptive to other people’s feelings that much, ya know? I don’t mean that as an insult, she’s a great kid, but her upbringing didn’t have much emotional, uh... _ enrichment _ .” 

It was a bit hard to describe, but Stan did about as well as he could. Koji was the one who could speak eloquently, not him. Jordan sighed & rolled his head back, “I guess, yeah...Her dad, though, or Rick! They probably hate that I’m here, & that we’re living together, & that—” 

“Holy shit Jordan, just clam down!” Stan shook his shoulders roughly in an effort to get him to quit his babbling, “You’re fine, you’re fine! Don’s even more dense than Eva, & Rick’s always had a soft spot for ya. I doubt they mind at all. You’re totally overthinking this stuff, & it won’t do you any good if you ever plan on confessing. You  _ are _ going to confess to her, right?”

There was no easy answer to such a question, not with his circumstances. Jordan’s shoulders heaved while he took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before answering, “...I don’t know. I tried, when we were on Oban…” Stan's eyebrows shot up in surprise, “Oh, really? Wait, how’d that go then?” 

A rolling groan thundered from the boy before throwing his head back into his hands. _"Not well,"_ Stan had to assume. Jordan spoke with a muffled voice through his gloves, “I thought it was Eva sitting in her hammock behind the curtain, but it was Don. He heard everything…” 

Stan’s cackling laughter sounded through the parking garage again , tears stinging his eyes. Jordan just slumped forward even more, soaking in the wash of shame from probably the most embarrassing moment of his life. 

After a few minutes, Stan finally calmed down & wiped away his tears. He smiled widely over at the sulking boy, “Jordan, that’s absolutely hysterical. I’m sorry that happened, but you godda admit that it makes for a hilarious story.”

A completely unamused expression covered Jordan’s face, his eyes sliding over to look up at Stan with a mild scowl, “Sure. Hilarious. Anyways, I guess that sort of reassures me that Don forgot about it, then...Eva probably did too…”

“Wait, you actually confessed to her, too? At like, a different time?” Stan asked. “Yeah,” Jordan nodded solemnly, looking out into the empty, gray cement floor. A thoughtful expression fell on his face while he recalled the memories in his head, “Right before I jumped into the Pyramid of Light to save her from Canaletto, I told her I loved her. But by the time we got to say goodbye, I was already transformed into The Avatar, & there...wasn’t much time to follow up.”

Stan was silent, staring up towards the ceiling in thought. Both men said nothing, until the silence was interrupted by Stan clicking his tongue, “That’s rough, buddy.” A simple gesture, but sincere. Jordan accepted it with a shrug. “I appreciate that. I'd like to tell her again, but…” he trailed off.

“Things aren’t the same?” Stan filled in, Jordan’s bright golden eyes widening in surprise. Bullseye.

“...Yeah. She hasn’t changed much in the past 7 years, but she still holds some resentment with herself over my...sacrifice.” He despised using that word, but it was what it was. 

The older man had nothing to say to that, staying quiet, so Jordan continued, “And maybe whatever she possibly did have for me, isn’t there anymore. But the most important thing is that...I’m, well, not  _ human _ anymore. And I’ll outlive her by thousands & thousands of years, barely aging while she grows old...As much as I’d hate to see her slowly fade away, I’ve already decided I would want that over never seeing her again...I decided that a long time ago.” 

Conviction held Jordan’s gaze, his hands held together in a fist in his lap, “And I intend to keep that promise to myself...As long as she wants me here. As a friend, as more than that, whatever. I just...want her happy, Stan. That’s why I’m scared that I’ll hurt her, somehow.”

More silence passed between them while Stan processed all of the guts that Jordan just spilled all over the floor. He was a good listener, which is perhaps why he could so easily get Jordan to open up, but he wasn’t as skilled at reassurance or advice with matters of the heart. 

“You’re still overthinking it, kid,” Stan finally announced, flipping the toothpick between his lips upwards. Jordan didn’t react, already aware of this fact. 

“I’m not gonna act like dating a freaking demigod would be easy, but you need to have a little more faith in Eva. She’s had it rough, but it’s made her strong as hell. She could weather any possible storm you two would have, I’m positive.”

Eva’s strength always was, & still is, one of her greatest qualities, Jordan completely agreed. But he had never really considered it in  _ that _ way. His denial of a relationship between them ever panning out in the first place most likely blinded him in that regard. Now he felt foolish for not seeing it before.

Stan was right,  absolutely correct. “The thing that I know for sure, though, without a doubt,” The man continued, turning to lock eyes with Jordan, “Is that Eva sees you as Jordan Wilde, first, Avatar second. Actually, I don’t think she sees much as the Avatar at all. More like human second, Avatar third.” 

Jordan's breath catched & his heart practically flipped. It was _exactly_ what he wanted to hear, which made it a bit too good to be true. His eyebrows creased together with a slight chuckle slipping from his lips, “Do you...really think so, Stan?” he asked, hopeful but scared. 

“Yeah, I do. I’m not gonna bullshit you when we’re talking about something like this, I can promise you that. So, Jordan, just, don’t be so afraid of yourself, ok? Have more faith! Eh, I’m not good at this mushy stuff!” the man yelped, scratching his head furiously in an effort to appear less flustered. 

Before Jordan could reply, a series of honks came from the parking garage entrance. Shortly after, the truck rolled back into the garage with bright headlights headed for the two men. Inside the cab, they could see a huge pile of pizza boxes were laid upon Eva’s lap. They had gotten so many, her head barely peeked out from the top of them. 

Without even thinking about it, almost as if by reflex, Jordan smiled upon seeing Eva. A real, bright, meaningful smile. Stan could tell simply from that how much Jordan truly was happy just being here. He was assured that no matter what, the two of them would be just fine. 

Koji parked the truck & Eva slipped out, carrying the steaming hot boxes of food in her hands, “Knock knock, pizza delivery!” 

Odors of Italian spices & cheese filled their noses pleasantly, coaxing Stan’s hungry stomach forward. He smacked Jordan’s back roughly, enough to shock him out of his smile, & stood up, “Well, let’s go grab some grub, Jordan! Hungry, aren’t cha?” 

“I don’t have to eat, remember?” Jordan smirked, lifting himself off the crate. Stan shook his head, “Doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some of Earth’s finest cuisine! Now c’mon, we can eat on the work table.”

He watched Stan walk away & then moved his eyes back to Eva, who was grinning brightly at him, same as ever. She flipped open the box on the very top, revealing a greasy pizza that was heaping with crispy pepperoni. 

Jordan got up & walked towards her, holding his arms out to help carry the food. 

Stan was absolutely right. 

Friends, lovers, whatever they may become: They would be fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW SORRY I HAVENT UPDATED THIS FIC IN...LIKE...3 months? Or something? Basically just life happened (took a trip to Japan, pet diagnosed with cancer, big depression™, work, etc) so I didn't have the energy/motivation for a while. But I'm feeling pretty back into it! Still may be a while until the next chapter, what with holidays coming up (also new pokemon, cough) & that I want to adjust my timeline & figure out how to plan the next chapter out. So I dunno, it'll happen when it happens! Ty to anyone who reads my ship drabble~ 
> 
> [BONUS: I updated my Jordan & Eva designs for this fic a bit, check em out here!](https://lovelesskiaart.tumblr.com/post/189064887331/i-wanted-to-update-my-eva-jordan-designs-for-my)


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